Politics and Prejudices
by Damsell
Summary: Bella Swan, speech writer to Senator Cullen is new to politics & D.C. Edward Masen, Chief of Staff to Senator Volturi having grown up surrounded by politics is jaded by it all.  Can Bella survive this new world & can Edward overcome his prejudices? AH
1. Chapter 1

The room was small and she was sure that it had once been a closet till someone had figured out that it was big enough to hold a desk and then it had been converted into an office. Her office.

Shifting the file box holding her things uncomfortably in her arms she made a face. It was a bit warm in there, the heat almost stifling. She was going to need a fan. Wrinkling her nose she realized that some air fresheners and Fabreeze might not be out of place either.

Sighing she finally stepped into the room and put her box down on the old desk and sighed when it shifted a bit under the weight of the items, showing that the legs were uneven.

"Great," she sighed and looked around at the grey walls. This was definitely not what she had envisioned as her workplace when she had agreed to come on permanently as Senator Carlisle Cullen's Director of Communications. Sure, the title was a glorified way of saying she wrote the majority of his speeches (with his input of course), but she still expected more than this.

As she laid her hands on the desk's surface and felt it wobble as she pushed at it then she jumped a bit when she heard a low whistle behind her.

"Wow, and I thought my office was bad," Jasper Whitlock, Senator Cullen's Chief of Staff said as he came into the small space that already seemed crowded with both of them in there.

"Well, we were warned that real estate was prime here in D.C., Jazz," Bella said with a sigh as she moved her wobbly desk around a bit more. "Seriously though, how can anyone get any work done on this thing? When they get around to hooking up my computer it's going to wobble every time I type."

Jasper frowned a bit and went to check on the desk. Peering under it he discovered that one of the legs was an inch or two shorter than the rest. Looking at her box of belongings he plucked out her well-worn copy of Pride and Prejudice and stuck it under the short desk leg.

"Hey!" Bella said indigently.

"What! It's perfect till we can find something else and it's not like you use it for your work!" Jasper replied.

"That's my favorite book! And, besides, how do you know I don't use it for work?" Bella scowled, leaning over to examine the book that was now being used to steady her desk.

Jasper snorted. "I haven't heard Carlisle say anything considered particularly Jane Austen-ish from the podium yet, Bella."

She sighed and looked around her office. "So this is it?"

Jasper nodded. "Home."

She shook her head at the thought and tried not to think about how depressing it was going to be working within the confines of the small space for the foreseeable future.

"So did you just come here to check out my closet and ruin beloved pieces of literature or was there something you needed?" Bella asked as she started to unpack the box she'd brought into the office and put the reference books on the nearby shelves that lined one drab wall.

"Carlisle wants to have a meeting in about half an hour," Jasper shrugged. "Seems he's causing a lot of waves with the staff changes that occurred."

Bella nodded. They had been told to expect this. Senator Carlisle Cullen, one of the senior members of the senate who had held office for several years and was speculated to be a top candidate for the office of president in the next election had shaken things up by replacing almost all of his staff right before he ran for another term in office. No one really knew the reason _why_ he had done so, but people speculated. The line fed to the press was always the same, "It was time for change." This led people to believe that Carlisle really was preparing for a presidential run. He was looking for a different group of people that could lead him there, but they were more than surprised by the group of people he had chosen.

Jasper Whitlock had been named his Chief of Staff. This had raised more than few eyebrows considering that Jasper was young and not even from the Senator's home state of California. But, the Texan was hard working, had a good head on his shoulders, and handled his duties well. It was only a select few that knew that Jasper was also dating the Senator's daughter, Alice. Widespread public knowledge of this relationship was prevented due to trying to avoid the appearance of nepotism—not that D.C. politics wasn't full of that already—but it's just the way that Jasper preferred it. He wanted people to realize that he had gotten the job on his own merit rather than the fact that he was smitten with the Senator's daughter.

The rest of the staff that had come on board during the change-up was just as young and idealistic. At twenty-five Bella already had graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State with a double major in government and speech and had been editor of the law review at Stanford before she graduated summa cum laude with her J.D. It was right after graduation, when she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do—having fielded offers from some of the nation's top law firms and having looked into working for several non-profit organizations—that she had received a call from Jasper, a friend who she had met in law school. He had been ending his time at Stanford right as she was starting, but he had been impressed enough from their few discussions to keep in touch and follow her academic career.

When he had asked her if she'd considered getting involved in politics, she had laughed, thinking he was joking, but then he had convinced her to meet with Senator Cullen and his family. In addition to actually liking Carlisle and agreeing with his political outlook, she had gotten on very well with his daughter, Alice, and his wife Esme. It hadn't been much longer till she had given in, thrown into a totally new world that had little to do with the law books that she had studied so passionately for the last three years.

Who knew that making laws actually had little to do with studying the law.

It was while learning the ropes as part of Carlisle's staff that everyone had discovered her ability to write the type of speeches that garnered attention in the political arena. Some of the speech writers had been working with Jasper on a piece that Carlisle was supposed to read at a gathering commemorating some flood victims in southern California. They were having a hard time treading the line of being political and sympathetic when Bella had rolled her eyes and looked over the speech, practically changing the whole thing before handing it over to Jasper moments before he thrust it into the right hands so it could be put on Carlisle's prompter.

The speech had reached far beyond the boundaries of the small town where the Senator was speaking and had actually received attention from national news outlets that had run it several times. Many commentators pointed to the speech as a sign that Carlisle could sound very "presidential" and though there had been rumors of a presidential run before, this speech was pointed to as the shift that could actually get him there. People began to imagine him in the role of President of the United States.

Carlisle had been so moved by the speech that he had insisted on having Bella work on his public addresses after that, much to the chagrin of the staff that had been utilized to do so before. Mike, Jessica, and Eric were told to report to her and they didn't like it one bit, though much of them grudgingly accepted that she could do the job.

After that she, Jasper, and the other staffers had worked tirelessly on his campaign while also trying to run his office. Even when congress wasn't in session, there seemed to be so much going on and it was a real juggling act to make sure that things ran smoothly. She swore that she and Jasper had aged at least ten years during the reelection period, but in the end it was worth it. Carlisle had been reelected by a landslide, his numbers so high there might as well not have been an opponent on the ballot.

Now she was in D.C. working for one of the most powerful and recognizable Senators in the country.

Jasper interrupted her musings as she unpacked by clearing his throat.

"I'll be there when the meeting starts, Jazz. Was there something else?" Bella asked.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Uh, yes, well, you see, there was this thing…"

She sighed. "What'd you commit me too this time, Jasper Whitlock?"

When he didn't deny that he had committed her to something she couldn't help but sigh.

"There's this function for staffers tonight and they wanted several of Carlisle's staff to attend. Considering that there's so few of us that have already arrived I said that we…"

Bella groaned and Jasper sighed.

"Sorry, Bella. You know that socializing is part of the job, we can't just… NOT attend."

"So I guess it's you and me again?" Bella frowned.

He nodded.

"You know that the rumors are going to start up again, don't you, Jasper?"

There had been rumors back in California that she and Jasper were an item. Jasper had begged her to let the rumors take hold, wanting to protect his relationship with Alice from the spotlight, and so Bella had agreed not to deny the rumors, but she didn't confirm them either. Jasper had been grateful, as had Alice. Both of them wanting to keep people within the political arena from believing that Jasper only had his job because of Alice.

She'd even agreed to share an apartment with Alice in D.C. Alice had reasoned that people would just assume that Jasper would be over so frequently to see Bella about work stuff. Jasper had agreed that this was a great idea. What neither of them had considered or realized was that now people were wondering if she had gotten her job because she was sleeping with the Senator's Chief of Staff. She'd already heard a few snickers about it, but they hadn't bothered her enough that she had brought it to either Jasper or Alice's attention. At least she got a good apartment out of it. If she hadn't been sharing with Alice she probably would have ended up somewhere just as bad as her closet-office. But, the rumors got to her.

Jasper nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I know, Bella, but…"

Bella interrupted him. "No need to explain, Jasper. We'll continue to throw everyone off the right trail and let them continue to think that there might be a thing between us." She shrugged. "I could do a lot worse."

Jasper grinned and winked at her. "Thanks, Bella." He turned to go, calling out, "You got twenty minutes." He called out even louder as he continued to walk away, "And, I'll see what I can do about that desk!"

Bella looked at the leg of the desk resting on her copy of Pride and Prejudice and she shook her head with a sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella hated these types of functions. They were just glorified dick measuring contests. Men and women that worked behind the scenes for the power players in Washington, trying to size each other up and get information―namely dirt―on their bosses' rivals where they could. A few of the men came looking for a piece of ass and there was no doubt that getting a quick role in the hay was just a wink and a smile away.

Even if Bella was interested, it wasn't going to happen. On the one hand she'd never been the type to go for a casual fling with someone. On the other, Jasper was protective of her, like a big brother. He felt that he was the one that had led her down the rabbit hole to the wonderland that was the political arena. The way he glared at potential suitors coupled with the rumors that were already circulating about them kept both the lotharios as well as the genuinely nice guys away.

So, as was the case when she had attended most of these types of functions with Jasper, she stood talking to him or some of the other women in the room. Of course, most of the functions that they had gone to before were smaller get-togethers in California. D.C. was a whole other ball game.

Here the attendees were more anxious to get what they wanted out of each other. They were blood thirsty whether in search of information or sex. Usually new blood like Bella's would have drawn them like wolves to the slaughter, but they knew Jasper a bit better, his having been on Senator Cullen's team before he had been promoted to Chief of Staff. With Jasper watching out for her, there was no way that they were getting near Bella, not to get information or hook up, whatever the case may be.

Bella was tired of sipping at her really bad glass of sweet tea. She'd never been much of a fan of the stuff, but it was that or some of the alcoholic beverages that seemed to be flowing freely. Knowing how much of a lightweight she was, there was no way she was touching anything with even the slightest alcohol content.

After an hour of watching Jasper chase away anyone that she might have had a potentially interesting conversation with and already having tried to participate in the insipid conversation of a group of young women who were talking about shoes, she decided it was time to go. She'd stood with those girls all of thirty seconds before she found herself in Jasper's company again, listening as he talked to a colleague she didn't know about some of the bills that were coming up in the new session.

It was better conversation, but still boring. After all, she knew that Jasper was holding his hand close, not showing his cards―or rather the Senator's cards―just yet. She already knew which ways the Senator was likely to vote on all the bills that were mentioned.

After a while she touched Jasper's arm, drawing his attention away from the nerdy guy he'd introduced as Tyler. Tyler had looked at her with some interest, but she had merely sipped her tea, showing that it wasn't returned.

"I'm going to go ahead and head out, Jazz," she said softly, putting her mostly full glass of tea on a nearby table that was already covered with empty beer bottles and glasses with melted ice floating in the remnants of mixed drinks.

"You sure, Bella? If you give me a few moments I can give you a lift home." Jasper replied.

Bella knew that usual the offer to drive her home was more about his wanting the chance to spend some time with Alice, but since Alice was actually not in D.C. at the moment, she didn't want him to go out of his way for her.

"No, thank you. I'm fine. I'll just catch a cab," she said with a smile.

Jasper frowned, obviously not liking the idea. "Bella…"

She put her hand on his arm and tiptoed up to whisper, "I know you have to stay and talk shop and Alice isn't arriving for another couple of days. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Jasper gave her a smile and nodded. "I'll see you bright and early at the office tomorrow then. Send me a text when you get home so I know you got there all right."

Bella nodded and turned to head out, stopping by the coat-check to get her coat, briefcase, and scarf from the girl reading a book behind the counter.

After slipping on the simple midnight blue long coat and the white cashmere scarf and matching hat and gloves that had been a gift from Alice and Esme she stepped out of the building into the cold D.C. air.

Hugging herself she rubbed her arms. She didn't know if she would ever get used to this cold weather. She was a west coast gal, used to the sunshine of Arizona and later California. This was ridiculous.

Before she had a chance to take a step in any direction she heard a voice coming from her left and she turned to see a man standing just out of the illuminating light of the sconces by the doors she'd just come out of.

"Not used to the cold? You get used to it after a while."

She blinked at the rich, sexy voice that made her shiver a bit and tried to peer into the darkness to see who was talking to her, but all she saw was his silhouette, the glow of his cigarette as he took a drag off of it, and the smoke that streamed up into the darkness as he exhaled.

"What? Oh. Um. Yeah. So I've been told." It would be hard to tell that she was known for her oration and speech writing skills considering she couldn't seem to answer this stranger in a coherent manner.

The man chuckled huskily and put out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray located on top of a trashcan.

"This is actually not that bad comparatively," he said as he stepped into the light, letting out the last stream of smoke from between his lips as she spoke. "Today was pretty mild."

"Mild? I hate to think…," she didn't finish her thought as he finally came into the light and she saw his face clearly.

He had to be the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her life. Even in his unkempt state, copper-like hair sticking up as if he'd continually run his hands through it, tie loose and askew revealing the top few buttons of his shirt were open, tired green eyes, and what looked to be at least two day's stubble growing on his chiseled jaw line, he looked better than any number of the Hollywood types she met while working with campaign in California.

She was speechless.

The man gave her a crooked smile and waited for her to continue, finally prompting her, "Hate to think…"

Her reply was a less than intelligent, "Uh…"

When she didn't finish her thought she chuckled and looked towards the doors she had exited moments before. "They still schmoozing in there?"

She nodded as he glanced her way, glad she didn't have to say anything out loud, cursing her tongue for not working.

He nodded and sighed. "I've been avoiding it."

"Oh?" Damn, couldn't she put two syllables together?

He smiled at her and shrugged. "Same people, same conversations. They think that they'll get a bit of information that will help them climb their way up the ladder." He smiled at her and shrugged, "Sometimes it works, but usually not till some people forget themselves and get schnookered, but that doesn't happen till later in the evening." He took a step towards her and fake whispered in a conspirital tone, "It's why the liquor flows so freely in Washington. It lowers inhibitions and makes tongues wag."

She couldn't help but chuckle at his words and tone.

"Thanks for your advice," Bella said.

"Want another piece of advice?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded, reaching up to brush a stray lock of brown hair away from her cold cheek with her glove encased hand.

"Don't walk to your car alone. Most of the political district here in D.C. is safe, but you never know," he said.

"Um, I don't have a car," she replied.

His brows drew together. "You were walking somewhere?"

"Uh, no, I was going to get a, uh, a cab actually." She really had to stop with the 'um's, 'uh's, and 'oh's, she thought to herself. Where was the confidence that she had displayed when participating in mock court cases or talking to some of the top law minds in the country.

"I hate to tell you, but you won't find a cab unless you call one ahead of time," he said with a frown. He ran his hand through his hair and looked up and down the street. "How far you do you have to go to get where you're going?"

"Uh?" _Damnit!_ she thought, _Fucking say something coherent, Isabella Marie!_ "Sanders Avenue." With the way she said it, it sounded more like a question.

He laughed. "Sanders? You really are new here. You were just about to hire a car to take you three blocks."

Bella blinked. "We're that close?" She blushed. "Sorry. I really don't know my way around yet."

"Obviously," he chuckled. "C'mon. I'll walk you home."

"Don't you have to go up?" Bella asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm old-hat up there. I've started to blend in, like the furniture."

_I seriously doubt that_, she thought to herself.

She stopped herself from saying 'um' and finally got out, "Are you sure?"

He nodded and smiled.

Bella hesitated a moment and then nodded. "All right. By the way I'm B…"

Before she could say her name he stopped her. "No, no names. D.C. is all about who you are and what you do. That always seems to get in the way of everything. Let's just be a lady needing assistance and a gentleman that willing to help and leave it at that." And, with that he offered her his arm.

As she tucked her arm through his she tilted her head back and smiled at him. "Thank you, kind sir."

He gave her a crooked grin back and winked at her. "You're welcome, my lady."


	3. Chapter 3

Edward Masen, Chief of Staff to none other than Senator Aro Volturi of New York was sitting in his office, sipping at a strong cup of black coffee. It was so early in the morning that the only sounds in the building were the sounds of the cleaning crew moving around, vacuuming, polishing floors, emptying out waste bins and shredders.

He liked this time of the day. There weren't staffers bothering him every five seconds, his Blackberry wasn't buzzing constantly, and his office phone wasn't ringing and lit up like a Christmas tree. This was the time of day that he could actually think.

Most people supposed that he would have been happy finding peace and solitude at home, but his apartment depressed him more than anything. It was the space where he slept, showered, and sometimes exercised, but other than that, he was most comfortable up on the Hill.

It was here that he had run through the corridors as a child and played hide and seek with interns and staffers. He had done his homework in offices similar to the one he sat in now, being shuffled off to a staffer to be taken care of.

Yes, this was home. It was his territory and where he felt most comfortable.

It was also becoming tiresome, but he didn't know exactly how to find an outlet. Sure, he had a the proverbial little black book with the numbers of countless women who would be happy to keep him company, a few of them might even be discreet, but it wasn't sex that he was looking for. He just felt…restless.

It was probably why he had made his way to that staffers' function the previous evening. Those gatherings were commonplace. Chiefs of Staff, communication directors, and other high level employees of different Senators gathered, sometimes from the same party, sometimes across them, and tried to be cordial while secretly looking for a way to take down the other guy in the hopes of climbing up the political ladder.

For a long time he had avoided those types of gatherings, sending other members of Senator Volturi's staff in his place. So, he wasn't exactly sure what had compelled him to make his way to the building where the function was being held. Perhaps he just wanted to change some of the monotony that had taken over his day to day life, hoping that something interesting might happen during the course of the get-together.

But, once he got there, he couldn't make himself go inside and instead he had settled outside the building, smoking a cigarette in the cold night air. He was mentally berating himself for making the track there instead of going home when he saw _her_.

She had walked out of the building, her shoulders automatically hunching against the cold as she hugged herself, rubbed her arms and shivered. She had looked the opposite direction from where he was standing, looking down the street, before she turned her face in his direction.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her face was framed with dark hair that was set off by the fuzzy white fabric of her hat and scarf. Her pale skin looked even softer then the cashmere and she had large, doe-like, chocolate brown eyes that he could get lost in. The warmth he saw in them seemed to heat him to his very core.

He could tell that she was cold and had used that as a way to start a conversation.

He found the fact that she fumbled through almost everything she said rather endearing, figuring that due to the fact that she was used to being in the background, most likely a low level staffer or intern.

He didn't want her to get intimidated when she heard his last name or who he worked for, so he had insisted that they just not reveal that to each other.

Of course now he was kicking himself because of that decision.

He had enjoyed the short walk to the front of her building, drawn in by her laugh, her blush, and her smile as he described some of the antics that he had seen at previous functions. For him, the walk had been much too short. As they stopped in front of her building, he had kissed the back of her gloved hand before he watched her make her way safely inside.

As soon as the door closed behind her he regretted that he didn't know her name and hadn't asked for her number.

Getting up he went to refill his cup of coffee and was just starting to pour it when Emmett, his Deputy Chief of Staff walked in to the office. Seeing Edward standing at the coffee pot he made a face.

"Damnit all to hell, Edward! Just one of these days I'd like to come into the office before you do so I can make the coffee and don't have to drink that shit that's stronger than tar."

Edward just snickered. "C'mon, Emmett. This stuff is just what we need to keep you going and get a bit of hair growing on your chest. Rosalie might like that."

Emmett shook his head and moved to hang his coat up. "If that swill is as bad as I think it is I'm going to have to trek over to Starbucks later and it's starting to snow. Seriously though, man, do you live here? Is there a secret tunnel that you discovered as a kid that leads to an awesome apartment or something? And, if not, when the hell do you sleep? I swear that if I didn't see you walking around in the daylight I'd think you were a vampire or something."

Edward just chuckled and shrugged. "How'd your date with Rosalie go last night?"

Emmett's goofy grin as he went to pour himself some coffee told Edward all he needed to know. Last week before he'd gone out for the first time with Rosalie Hale, a national image consultant, Emmett had been more nervous than Edward had ever seen him.

Emmett was a former Naval officer who had actually served as a Navy Seal before an injury had put him behind a desk. After that he had gone through law school while still enlisted and then joined JAG for a while before he figured out that being in the military and not actually being part of the action wasn't for him. It would have been funny to see the hulk of a man acting like a pubescent teen about to go on his first day if it hadn't of been affecting his work. Edward had finally had to sit him down, have a good talk with him, and get him to calm down.

That date had gone well and last night was the second.

"Take it that it went well then?" said Edward.

Emmett grinned and nodded. "I'm telling you right now, Edward. I'm going to marry that girl."

Edward nearly spit out the gulp of coffee he had just taken and he coughed a bit as he looked over at a chuckling Emmett. "Seems it's a bit premature for that don't you think?" he asked when he was through coughing.

"When I know what I want, I go after it. You should know that by now, Edward," Emmett said with a shrug.

Edward just snorted. Emmett's relentlessness was legendary. It was actually how he had gotten the job that he had. Senator Volturi was a very particular man. He wanted things a certain way and with very few exceptions all his staff had political connections as well as ivy league educations. All his staff had at least one of those two qualifiers…all of them except Emmett.

Emmett had sent his resume to Edward several times, and while Edward was impressed by his service record and mentioned him to Aro, the Senator hadn't been all that interested. Then Emmett had started calling. Then he had started coming around.

In the end, he had convinced Aro that hiring a former military man with such a stellar record would only help their image, especially with active and former service members. And, that was how Emmett had come on board several years back. He'd proved himself and that's how he'd ended up being not only Edward's right hand man, but his best friend as well.

He could already imagine Emmett being just as relentless when it came to Ms. Hale.

"God help that girl if she doesn't feel the same way you do. If she doesn't you're going to go stalker on her ass and then we're going to have a problem on our hands till she finally gives in." Edward said with a chuckle.

Emmett just laughed. "So you end up going to that function last night? Was it as dry and boring as you expected?"

"Hmm," Edward responded as he sipped his coffee. "I went, but didn't go in."

"What the hell was the point of that? I thought you wanted to get the scoop on Cullen's new staff. Aro's going to want more inside information on that." Emmett replied.

Edward just shrugged. "We have what everyone else has, bios on the new staff members. If he's going to want more than that he's going to have to find a different way of getting it."

Emmett made a face as he tasted his coffee and added more cream. "Don't you mean _you're_ going to have to find a way of getting that information?" Emmett asked with a pointed look.

Edward sighed. "It's ridiculous really. If he really is running for President in a couple of years what difference is Cullen's staff going to make. I'm sure whoever he's hired is going to be loyal to him and if he wants to run a smear campaign, well…" He just shrugged. "The election is a couple of years off. We have time."

Emmett snorted. "As Aro's said repeatedly, you start preparing to run for president the moment you even dream about it or the moment the country names you an heir apparent…as in your case."

Edward scowled. "Enough of that. I'll put one of the staffers on it. I'm sure some of his new staff is going to need friends being new to the area and all."

As he said that he thought about the woman he'd met last night. He wondered if she had any friends and hoped she did so people wouldn't try to take advantage of her, pretending to buddy up to her when they would really be doing nothing more than using her.

"Who you think of putting on it?" Emmett asked.

Edward didn't answer, still thinking of chocolate brown eyes and flushed, pale skin.

"Edward?" When there was no response, Emmett tried again. "Hellloooo, earth to Masen. Come in Mr. Masen."

Edward shook his head. "What?"

"I was asking who you're going to get to try and buddy up to Cullen's staff," Emmett said. "Where was your mind just now?"

"Oh, it's nothing," replied Edward. "Just thinking about some things I need to get done today. Why don't you talk to Jane and see what she can find out."

Emmett nodded. "Will do, Chief."


	4. Chapter 4

Jasper had driven Bella to work early that morning since she had several boxes of books as well as files and other things that she wanted to take into the office. Though her office was small, she was trying to make it a livable space. She'd put her books up on the shelf, organized her files, and had even brought a few items to make the space more homey.

She had set the digital picture frame on her desk, pictures of her with her friends and family through the years flashing continually on the small screen. There were even a few pictures of her and the Senator with his family.

She was new to the world of politics, and while she had spent most of the last year in California working on Senator Cullen's campaign she had learned to love it, well, at least the part that she had been exposed to. She liked the strategizing sessions, the fast pace of things, and she felt that it was truly a test of her intellect, something she honestly hadn't felt in a long time. She also loved the fact that she was working for a politician that she whole-heartedly believed in. He held the same political viewpoints that she did and after getting to know him, she found that he was a politician who was in office because he genuinely wanted to help people. He was a good man with a good family.

Truth of the matter was that she really did love the Cullens. Since she'd first met them she'd fit right in and they seem to have taken her under their wing. She got on well with Carlisle and Esme, both of them treating her like a member of the family and Alice was like the sister that she never had.

Bella couldn't help but smile as a picture of her and Alice flashed across the screen of her digital picture frame.

Turning her attention back to the computer she pulled up one of the press releases that the Senator had asked her to develop for his approval before it was sent out to media outlets. Her mind got caught up in the wording about the upcoming bill that he was sponsoring so she didn't notice the voices approaching her office till she heard a knock on the door. Barely glancing up from her computer screen she called out, "Come in!"

She glanced up again to see Alice standing there, looking aghast. "Bella, my closet is bigger than this!"

Bella's mind was still more involved with the press release so her answer was a cursory, "Huh? Yeah. It's small."

Alice wrinkled her nose. "There has to be something better than this. I'll talk to daddy…"

Alice's words finally penetrated Bella's thought and she looked up from her computer screen. "Oh, no you don't, Alice Cullen. Senator Cullen has much bigger fish to fry than worrying about where I'm going to be working."

"But, Bella…!" Alice responded.

"Alice, you'd have me set up in the Oval Office if you could," Bella laughed. "I'm fine. I'm just a speech writer and…"

Alice interrupted her, "You are _not_ just a speech writer! You are Director of Communications for Senator Carlisle Cullen of California and who knows, we may very well be working out of the Oval Office someday." She chuckled.

Bella just smiled. "What are you doing here anyway? Don't tell me you came here straight from the airport."

Alice shrugged and plopped into the chair across the desk from Bella, carelessly throwing her Kate Spade bag on the floor next to her as she did.

"I wanted to come here first and see Jasper, but he's in a meeting so I thought I'd come by and see how you're settling in."

Bella shrugged. "I'm doing all right. Haven't really done much of anything yet. I'm sure something will happen to throw us all for a loop soon, though."

"Nothing interesting happened at that staffers' function last night? Jasper told me you two were going to be going."

Bella's thoughts drifted to the mysterious man that had walked her home, but she simply said, "No, nothing interesting happened. The function was quite boring actually."

Alice eyed her a moment. "All right, Bella. Spill."

Bella blinked. "What?"

"There's something you're not saying," said Alice. When Bella blushed, this actually confirmed Alice's suspicions. "There _is_ something you're holding back! What is it? Did you meet someone? Please don't tell me it's just that you overheard some political gossip and that what has you like this. Please, _please_ tell me it's something interesting."

Bella sighed. "It wasn't anything all that big that happened, Alice. I just…there was this guy that walked me home."

Alice's eyes widened and she grinned. "Really now? Who was he?"

"I don't know," replied Bella honestly.

Alice tilted her head and frowned. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Bella proceeded to tell her about her encounter with the mystery man the previous evening, Alice listening with rapt attention. She didn't tell Alice _everything_ thought. She didn't tell her about the butterflies in her stomach or how her heart felt like it skipped a beat when he had brushed a lock of hair from her face.

But, of course Alice was very perceptive and her smile only grew bigger as Bella spoke.

"How utterly romantic," Alice sighed.

Bella blushed and tried to hide how uncomfortable she was by rolling her eyes.

"Oh, don't roll your eyes at me, Bella Marie. Sounds like you really liked this guy…whoever he is."

Bella frowned. "I barely know the guy, Alice. No, scratch that. I _don't_ know this guy. I don't even know his name."

Alice chuckled. "Bella, D.C. is really a small place. It's the same people over and over again. I'm sure that we'll run into this man again."

Bella worried her lower lip a bit before asking. "You really think so? I mean, he did look a bit familiar so perhaps I've seen him before."

Alice giggled. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find out who he is." She glanced at her watch. "Though I really should let you get back to work. Hopefully Jasper will be done with his meeting and actually has a chance to grab a bit to eat in his office before I head back to our place." She picked up her bag from the floor and set it on her lap. "Speaking of which, what time will you be home? We need to discuss furniture placement and unpack common areas like the kitchen."

Bella chuckled. "Put everything wherever you want it, Alice. You know I don't really care."

"I'm just trying to be a good roommate," Alice said with a smile. "This is the first time I've lived away from my parents." She sighed happily as she stood up. "God, I'm looking forward to the freedom."

Bella laughed. "You're looking forward to not having to spend time with Jasper."

"That too," Alice said pertly.

Bella laughed again. "Go on, Alice. I need to finish this press release."

Alice smiled and turned to go. "I'll see you later!"

Bella said goodbye and tried to turn her attention back to the words on the screen, but the conversation with Alice brought thoughts of her mystery gentleman to mind again. It had been so easy to talk to him and she had enjoyed his company, however short their time together had been.

Despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to exchange names she had been sorely tempted not to turn around and walk right back outside and insist on getting his name and number. Unfortunately, she wasn't that forward. And, besides that, when she had finally gathered the courage to peek outside, he was gone.

She had had a bit of trouble falling asleep last night, thinking of his green eyes and coppery hair. She had wondered at why he had looked so familiar, but had quickly put it off as coincidence. She had really enjoyed his company and had felt drawn to him, though she really couldn't explain why. She knew absolutely nothing about him, just that he was a gentleman, that he tried to put her at ease in his company, that he made her smile and laugh, and that he made her weak in the knees.

She couldn't remember any man having that effect on her.

Sighing she came out of her thoughts and started to work on the press release again. It wasn't long before she was done and she forwarded it to Jasper and the Senator. Looking at the clock she couldn't believe how much time had passed by while he was working and she locked down her computer, figuring she should find something to eat for lunch.

Usually she was the type to bring a sack lunch to the office, being a workaholic, but she hadn't had time to go grocery shopping since she's arrived in D.C. She had no doubt that Alice or Esme will have already filled the fridge by the time she got home. She was just hoping that they brought ordinary stuff like turkey breast and cheese for sandwiches.

She stood up, slipping her coat, gloves, scarf, and hat on before she made her way out, looking at her watch as she went. She turned the corner down the hall and missed Jasper coming up with a group of people from the other end of the hall.

"Working across party lines to sponsor a bill such as the one you described is definitely a possibility. Of course we'll have to meet with the senators to iron out the details and see what Republican members of the Senate we can approach. You'll have to send us some more ideas on paper of course before we can approach Senator Cullen with it though," Jasper was saying as he walked towards Bella's office with none other than Edward Masen.

Stopping outside Bella's office he said, "Here we are." He knocked on the door and when he didn't get any answer her called out, "Bella, it's Jasper. I wanted to introduce you to someone." He knocked again and when he didn't get an answer he peeked in her office. "Huh, she's not here. Sorry Masen, guess you'll have to meet her another time."

"I'm sure that there'll be plenty of time to meet the rest of your staff, Whitlock," Edward said with a smile. "I'll get back to you with the details on that bill."


	5. Chapter 5

Edward came back to Senator Volturi's offices after his short trip to meet with Senator Cullen's new staff. Sure, he had told Emmett to have Jane be on the lookout so they could hopefully get more of an insider scoop, but that didn't meant that he couldn't take the initiative to meet the staff himself. He hadn't even had to create a reason for his visit to Senator Cullen's offices. Aro was really interesting in finding a co-sponsor from the West coast for his bill and Edward was putting out feelers to different Senators including Cullen.

The fact was that he was glad he had met Cullen's new team. His initial guess that the group was mostly young, idealistic, and green had been right. Most of them, with the exception of Jasper, were new to the stage of national politics. From the information he had gathered, they had experience with local campaigns or no experience at all. He'd met the majority of Senator Cullen's top team, with the exception of Isabella M. Swan, his Director of Communications. He found it rather odd that he wouldn't know this woman if he ran into her on the streets. Usually the head of communications for any campaign or politician had a well-known face, but in this case no photograph was included with her bio. Then again, most of Senator Cullen's staff wasn't all that well known. He hadn't been able to associate half the names he'd seen in print with the people that he met today. It was hardly the type of team that one would expect a man looking to run for President to put together.

Right now he was vacillating between the idea that Senator Carlisle Cullen was either a genius or extremely stupid.

Unfortunately for Senator Volturi he didn't think it was the latter.

Seeing how much the young staff that worked for Senator Cullen seemed to enjoy what they do, how they seemed to want to do right by the American people, made him nostalgic for when he used to have the same type of enthusiasm. Now, working for Senator Volturi, well, it was just a job, but it was a job that he was damned good at.

He'd been born into the world of politics. He'd practically been breed for it. He knew the workings of Washington D.C. inside and out and when Senator Volturi had finally convinced him to come on board as his Chief of Staff, well, that had been a major coup. Everyone wondered how it had happened, but only Edward knew the truth: He'd done it to get people to stop asking him about his own political aspirations. He didn't want to be in the spotlight, though he knew that's where many people wanted him. Aro was a man that was more than happy to keep Edward behind the scenes, working for him.

It meant less competition.

It felt like he had only been back at his desk a few moments answering emails, phone calls, and talking to the various staffers that came into his office to ask questions when he heard a knock on his office door and looked up to find Emmett standing there, slipping on his coat.

"You've been at it all day, Chief. About time to call it quits I would say."

Edward blinked and looked at the clock on his desk before he ran his hands through his already messy hair and let his head fall back against his office chair. "Christ, where'd the day go?" he said with a sigh.

Emmett chuckled. "C'mon, Edward. Take the evening off. It's not like there's anything that can't wait and everyone knows how to get a hold of you if there's an emergency anyway. Let's go have a drink…or dinner. When's the last time you had a good meal anyway?"

Edward couldn't help but snicker. "Jesus, Emmett, what are you, my mother?"

Emmett shrugged. "Can't do your job if you aren't healthy."

Edward could only nod and sigh. He actually had just had a bag of chips from the vending machine for lunch and he was rather hungry. Shifting in his seat, he started to shut down his computer and put the files he needed in his briefcase.

"You aren't going to see Rosalie tonight?" Edward asked as he continued to get ready to leave for the day.

Emmett shook his head. "Nah, she's getting together with one of her old friends tonight. I'm hoping she'll be my date to that Kennedy Center thing we have this weekend though."

Edward frowned as he stood up, slipping on his suit jacket which had been hanging off the back of his office chair. "Is that this weekend?"

"What? Don't have a date? How shocking." Emmett teased.

Truth of the matter was that Edward didn't really date. Not that Emmett had seen anyway. Sure, he knew that Edward had female companionship now and again, but he never really invited any of his lady friends to any official functions. He told Emmett that he usually just had dinner with women he called "friends" who were too busy to commit to anything romantic themselves. They enjoyed each other's company and then would part ways. No strings. No entanglements. No mess. Emmett kinda felt bad for him. Sure, most men would say that was their dream, but Edward never let anyone close and that was no way to live.

Edward just shrugged at Emmett's comment and started to slip on his outerwear even as his mind wandered to thoughts of the girl from the previous evening. For a moment he wondered if there would be a way to find out who she was, to get her to actually go with him to this formal event. If she'd looked that lovely in her coat and outerwear he could only imagine how beautiful she would look in an evening gown.

These thoughts surprised him since he barely knew her, but they also surprised him because as a rule he never let any women accompany him to work functions. He figured if he ever did the women would think that they were headed towards a relationship and he definitely didn't want to grow attached.

Pushing these thoughts away he looked to Emmett. "Where did you want to eat?"

Emmett shrugged. "Figured that steakhouse that we went to last time would do. You need meat on your bones, man. You're practically wasting away!"

"You really do sound like a mother hen, Emmett," Edward snorted and slipped on his leather gloves before he reached for his briefcase.

"Chief, if I don't take care of you who will?" Emmett smiled. He was only half teasing. In addition to being Edward's Deputy Chief of Staff, he was best friends with the man and looked out for him. Emmett knew that it was Edward's doing that he was in the job he was in. In addition to owing him for that, he genuinely liked the guy. He was smart, funny, and though life had dealt him a shitty hand that had turned him into a bit of a hard ass that wouldn't trust the Pope unless he got to know the man personally, he was a good guy. Jaded and untrusting, but good. Emmett understood why he kept everyone at a distance and it had taken several years before Edward trusted him to the point that he did now.

It was Emmett that Edward talked to and trusted more than anyone, more so than the few cousins that he had left in terms of family. Emmett didn't take this fact lightly.

Edward chuckled. "Now, now, Emmett. How's Rosalie going to feel if you go into your marriage with baggage? She going to adopt me too?"

Emmett snickered. "I have a feeling my Rosie is a tough gal that could handle you…and I don't mean that sexually either."

Edward laughed and started to head out of the office with Emmett. "So I finally get to meet the infamous Rosalie this weekend. It's about time with how much you've been talking about her."

"Now who's the one that sounds like my momma?" Emmett snorted.

Edward just laughed in response.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alice, are you sure that this is all right?" Bella asked for the hundredth time as the town car they were in pulled up to the front of the posh restaurant.

"Of course it's all right," Alice said as she adjusted her gloves. "I've wanted you and Rosalie to meet forever, but she hardly gets out to California these days and you haven't really been out to D.C. much."

The driver had opened the back door to the car and Alice gently nudged Bella out before following her and continuing, "Besides, I'm hoping that she'll be working with us more closely and that my dad and Jasper will be hiring her on as an image consultant."

Bella looked at Alice skeptically. "This isn't a working dinner, is it?"

Alice laughed. "No, not at all. When Rosalie and I get together business is usually the furthest thing from our minds."

Alice had told Bella all about her friend Rosalie Hale. They had first known each other when they were both students at UCLA. Alice had been a double major in business and government and Rosalie had been a public relations major minoring in government. They had taken enough government classes together that they got to know each other and had formed a fast friendship.

After graduation Alice had stayed in California and had started helping a friend run his small fashion house, providing some input into the design as well as serving as his 'muse.' Rosalie had moved to D.C. and had worked at one of the bigger PR firms there till she had started hiring herself out as a consultant.

Entering the restaurant they checked their coats with the hostess before they were led to a table towards the back of the restaurant. Rosalie was already sitting there, sipping at a glass of wine and perusing the menu.

As soon as she saw her, Bella already felt a little intimidated. To say that Rosalie was beautiful was an understatement. Her light blonde hair was falling in soft waves around her shoulders which were encased in a beautiful grey business suit. Her jewelry was understated and she was only wearing a diamond solitaire necklace and diamond earrings. Even her make-up was soft, simple and meant only to enhance her natural features rather than covering anything up. She was the type of woman that wouldn't have been out of place at a big Hollywood event.

As they approached the table, Alice lit up with a smile and called out, "Rosalie!"

Rosalie looked up from her menu and smiled. "Alice!" Setting her wine glass and menu down she stood up and leaned over to hug the much shorter Alice and then she turned to Bella with a bit of a reserved smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"You must be Bella. Alice has told me so much about you." She smiled and politely shook Bella's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you," Bella said with a soft smile in return.

As they moved to sit Alice was smiling brightly. "I'm so glad that we could get together. I've wanted you two to meet for a while now, but all our schedules have been so hectic!"

Rosalie smiled. "Well, you're the one that's been stuck out there in California with all that sunshine." Her voice was almost wistful as she spoke.

Alice laughed. "The grass is always greener! I've wanted to experience the seasons changing for some time. Warm, hot, hotter, and burning to a crisp are no comparison to fall, spring, summer, and winter. Though it does give me the opportunity to work on my tan whenever I want. It helps to hide the blemishes."

"Oh shush!" Rosalie laughed. "Your complexion is flawless and you look good with a tan or without one." She turned to Bella. "Like you. You seem to have the perfect peaches and cream complexion."

Bella blushed brightly and Alice smiled, agreeing with Rosalie. "She does, doesn't she?"

"Um, thank you," Bella replied, obviously embarrassed.

Alice smiled and decided to change subjects. "So what have you been up to, Rosalie?"

"Same old, same old," she said with a smile as she picked up her wine glass again. "I'm putting out some feelers for some new clients now that the midterms are done. The period right afterwards is a bit slow, but that doesn't last and I'm already getting a few inquiries in regards to work for the presidential election in two years."

Bella looked at Rosalie with interest. She knew from what Alice had said and talk she'd heard around the office that Rosalie was at the top of game. She knew what to do to make a candidate look good and appealing to the public. She'd helped several congressmen and a couple of Senators get elected and while she had never worked at a national scale, there was no doubt she would be part of a team in the upcoming presidential election.

Before anything else could be said, the waiter came over and took their drink and food orders. After he was gone Alice continued, "What about your personal life? I tried asking over the phone but you said the conversation could wait till dinner. So spill.'"

What could only be described as a dreamy smile turned up the corners of Rosalie's perfect, cupid bow lips. "Well, if you must know, I have recently started seeing someone."

"I knew it! I knew it!" said Alice with an even bigger grin. "Tell us all about him."

Rosalie proceeded to tell them all about Emmett, a man she had met at a party fundraiser who had been peeking at her from behind a statue of a bear all night before he'd gotten the courage to come up and talk to her. They'd gone out twice and it was obvious that Rosalie seemed to really like him.

"What about you, Bella? Do you have a boyfriend? Are you seeing anyone?" Rosalie asked after thanking the waiter for pouring her another glass of wine after he had poured glasses for Bella and Alice.

Bella shook her head. "No, there just doesn't seem to be time."

"I know how that is," Rosalie said with a bit of a smile. "I'm learning to make time."

"I guess when the right person comes along you just know that you have to," added Alice.

Both Bella and Rosalie knew that Alice was thinking about her relationship with Jasper.

Oddly enough, Bella's mind wandered to the nameless man she'd met the other night.

Before she could ponder more on her strange turn of thought, their salad course had arrived and Alice was pressing Rosalie for more details about Emmett.

It was then that Rosalie revealed that he worked for Senator Volturi.

"No? Really?" said Alice as she wrinkled her nose a bit as if she had suddenly smelled something awful.

Rosalie sighed. "I know. It's his one flaw, but even then, I can't fault him for it. He joined Volturi's staff because he wanted to work with Edward Masen. His parents always praised the Masens."

"I heard that Masen has been working with Senator Volturi for a while," Bella added.

Rosalie nodded. "From what I heard he started working with the Senator not long after leaving law school. Emmett joined the team several years back."

Masen was a well-known name in the world of politics as famous as Kennedy, or Bush. It was a political dynasty that stretched back several generations and hardly anyone could remember a time when a Masen didn't hold a political office in D.C. It had started at the turn of the last century with a Masen being elected to the House out of Illinois. One after another the name Masen became synonymous with political power in Illinois and it all seemed to come to a head when Edward Masen, Sr., the senator from Illinois, had declared his run for president several years back.

When he and his wife had died in a plane crash on their way to a rally in California, that had been the end of the Masen name in the halls of congress…at least for a while. At the time of their deaths, their young son Edward had been a teenager. While the picture of JFK Jr., saluting his father's casket when he was no more than a toddler had touched the heart of a nation because of poignant way in which a son honored his slain father, it was touching because the boy had little awareness of what was going on around him due to his young age. The picture of Edward Jr. standing on the snow covered ground between the caskets of his parents his body hunched over, contorted with grief while he sobbed into his glove covered hands had shown the world the figure of a young man who had lost everything and found himself truly alone. It touched people because while they had suffered the loss of a great leader, the young man in the photograph had lost his family. The picture, obviously taken in a moment of utter despair, had won a Pulitzer.

While Edward tried to keep out of the spotlight, every now and then a story would pop up about him in national news outlets. They called him the surviving prince, the heir apparent to the political dynasty that his family had cultivated for generations. Despite his plea for privacy, stories about his high school graduation, his grades in college, his acceptance into Columbia law school, and his subsequent graduation and admittance to the bar were reported on with regular frequency. Media outlets would speculate now and then when he would pick up the reigns and throw his name onto the ballot. They considered him a sure win if he ran for the Senate in Illinois.

When he decided to accept a position as Senator Volturi's Chief of Staff, he had set off a firestorm. Some political pundits praised him, figuring he was just biding his time and learning the ropes under the senior Senator. Others wondered if this move had been a tragic mistake on Edward's part.

Edward never discussed his personal life with anyone so no one really knew his reasons.

"Well, Edward Masen seems like a good guy…despite who he works for," Alice said, bringing Bella out of her musings about the man in question.

Rosalie nodded. "Emmett calls him his best friend. Seems to me like the two of this have this whole bromance going."

"Well…he could do worse," Alice said with a shrug.

"Yes, Emmett does seem to have very good taste," Rosalie said with a grin and all three women laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

Edward got home from having dinner with Emmett and set his briefcase on the table set in the foyer near the entrance before he moved to slip off his scarf, gloves, and winter coat and put them in their place in the coat closet before he moved through his apartment towards his bedroom as he pulled off his tie.

He barely noticed the living room to his right or the kitchen to his left. The place was immaculate, just as it always was. It was tastefully decorated in modern furniture in tones of black, khaki, and some beige and while there were some knickknacks here and there, there was nothing that could be described as personal. Truthfully he had hired a decorator to do everything.

His bedroom was a bit of a different story; while it was also tastefully decorated it seemed to have more personality. Here there were a number of black and white framed prints on the wall. He had always loved photography, something that his mother had instilled in him from a young age. As a matter of fact, one of the black and white photographs on the wall was an original Ansel Adams print that his father had brought for his mother on the first wedding anniversary. There were also two photographs on his dresser. One showed him with his parents. They were all dressed in ski clothes and his mother stood between him and his father. None of them were looking at the camera; instead, all of them were flushed from the cold and laughing.

It was the last photograph that he had taken with them.

The other photograph on the dresser showed his parents on their wedding day. His parents looked so young, carefree, and happy. It had always been his favorite photograph of them and had been in his bedroom since he was a young boy up unto this day.

Moving to the walk-in closet he shed his suit and hung it up next to a couple of others that he had to drop off at the cleaners sometime during the week. He moved back into the bedroom and to the dresser and pulled out a pair of workout shorts before he slipped into his running shoes, grabbed his iPod and a towel before he moved towards the living room to the treadmill that was sitting in front of the bay window that gave a great view of the city.

As he did whenever he could, Edward started to run. It was his way of getting away from everything. For about a good half hour he didn't care about his Blackberry or the work that never seemed to end. This was his time.

The music he listened to drowned out the sound of his heavy breaths and his feet hitting the belt as he ran. The music was loud, angry music. It has been his preference since he was a teenager and he still remembered how it had driven his parents crazy when he listened to it. They hadn't liked it, but they hadn't complained much since he was an overall good kid and it was just a small show of rebellion on his part that he listened to it and played it a bit too loud from his room. His mother actually joked that since he was a good, calm kid he must have a lot of anger inside considering where his musical preferences ran.

He had just liked the hard rifts and dramatic beats then, his choice of groups like System of a Down, Korn, and Disturbed had nothing to do with how he felt. Now, that he was older, the music fit his mood much better and he always listened to it while running.

As he ran he pushed thoughts of work out of his mind. Usually when he ran he thought of mundane things like when he would make time to go to the dry cleaners, or whether or not it was really time to replace his favorite pair of shoes. Tonight, his thoughts drifted to the angel he'd walked home the previous evening.

For almost twenty-four he found his mind wandering towards thoughts of her. He thought of her laugh, her soft voice, her chocolate brown eyes, and her smile. And, for the thousandth time he was mentally kicking himself for not getting her name, asking for her number, or asking if he could see her again.

He hadn't wanted to get to know a woman like this…well, he couldn't remember the last time he did, if ever.

Finishing his workout he shook his head and used a towel to wipe down his face and chest before he made his way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

He figured he had two choices at this point: he could either push thoughts of her out of his mind and stop obsessing, or he could find a way to meet up with her again. He did know where she lived after all.

)( )( )( )(

Bella woke up for work the morning after her dinner with Alice and Rosalie and got ready for work. Making her way out into the living room and towards the kitchen she groaned as she caught Jasper and Alice kissing in the kitchen.

"It's really too early in the morning for me to be seeing that," she grumbled.

Jasper had come over the previous evening after she and Alice got home. She figured that this was going to be the norm now that Alice was in town and living in her own place with Bella. One thing that she was very grateful for was the fact that they had chosen a place with bedrooms at opposite ends of the apartment. She really didn't need to hear what was going on between one of her bosses and her best friend.

Jasper and Alice both just giggled as Bella made her way into kitchen.

Bella continued, "You two were so busy sucking face neither of you bothered to turn on the coffeepot! How am I supposed to get by without caffeine? There isn't even time for it to brew."

"Sorry," Alice said with a smile, though she didn't seem all that sorry to Bella.

Jasper chimed in now. "Yes, sorry, Bella. I'll make it up to you by driving through a Starbucks. I'll even buy you a pastry," he said with a wink. "But, we should get going. We have a staff meeting this morning."

Bella nodded as she looked at her watch, quickly grabbing her lunch from the fridge, glad she'd taken the time to pack it the night before.

As she rushed the foyer and grabbed her coat, scarf, gloves and hat from the coat closet and started to slip them on as Alice and Jasper said their good byes.

As they drove to work, Jasper had a silly grin on his face and Bella didn't even want to think about what had put it there.

"So what do we have scheduled for today other than the staff meeting?" Bella asked.

They were discussing shop when Jasper brought up the upcoming weekend. "Don't forget that we have that thing at the Kennedy Center this weekend."

"I do have to go to that, don't I?" Bella asked in a resigned tone.

Jasper nodded. "All part of the job, Ms. Swan. Besides, don't you like the idea of rubbing elbows with D.C.'s elite? I mean, the President is expected."

"Senator Cullen still hoping to get a meeting with him while there?" Bella asked curiously.

Jasper nodded. "Of course so will almost everyone there, but I think we'll get five minutes."

"His endorsement, even if not publicly made, would go a long way, Jazz."

Jasper nodded and frowned. "We're going to have to start getting the party on our side, there are others that are chomping at the bit for the nomination and we're a little behind in the game since most of the staff is new."

"You were in a late meeting last night with the Senator," Bella said.

Jasper just nodded in response.

"He's made a decision, hasn't he?" Bella continued.

Jasper glanced from the road briefly to look at her and nodded, his look turning serious.

"So, when do I start preparing the announcement that Senator Carlisle Cullen is running for President of the United States?" Bella asked, her pulse already quickening at the thought of what they were getting themselves into.

A/N:

**Hello Everyone,**

**I hope that you are all liking the new story.**

**There are just several things I wanted to cover about this story. First, I would like to thank Coleen561 for the wonderful new banner. Second, I am going to do my best to not go into party politics here. Yes, this is a political drama set in D.C., but it isn't about being Democrat or Republican. I'm trying to make it more about the relationships, both personal and professional. Also, I wanted to let you know that this is a long story that's going to span a long period of time. If you're looking for a quickie, I'm not into that (in writing, otherwise sometimes they're necessary and fun). **

**Lastly, I would like to thank you all for reading and reviewing! I love getting your feedback!**

**D.**


	8. Chapter 8

Bella rushed into her and Alice's apartment and though she was usually a neat person she kicked off her shoes, dropped her bag by the door and barely took the time to hang her coat before she was rushing towards her bedroom, pulling off her suit jacket as she went.

Alice came out of her room dressed in a red evening gown, trying to tie the clasp to a diamond bracelet she was wearing. "Bella! Where have you been? You're going to be late!"

"I know! I know!" Bella called out as she rushed into her room and started to strip to take a quick shower. The event at the Kennedy Center was tonight and today of all days she'd had to answer a million emails and take a million phone calls since someone had let it slip that Senator Cullen was meeting briefly with the president that evening.

Good news for Senator Cullen. More work for Bella.

She knew that she was going to be busy tonight, fielding questions on the Senator's behalf and trying to keep the media at bay. Stripping as she walked across her room she left a trail of clothes in her wake and stepped into the shower. She was still in there washing her hair when Alice opened the door enough to call in, "I'm taking a car to meet mom and dad so I can go over to the Kennedy Center with them! I think Jasper is riding over with us as well, but I'll send the car back for you."

"Thanks, Alice! Tell them I'll be there as soon as I can," Bella called out as she started to rinse off.

She managed to finish getting ready in record time, but then she'd never been the type of woman to take hours on end to get ready. She used the blow-dryer and just left her hair to fall in loose waves around her shoulders. She slipped into one of her few evening dresses, realizing in the back of her mind that Alice was right and she really was going to have to expand her wardrobe now that she had more functions like this to attend.

She'd actually chosen the black strapless dress because of its simplicity. It had no embellishments of any sort and she felt that she could change it up a bit by accessorizing it with different jewelry and wraps. That had worked in California since she didn't attend many social functions that required formal evening wear. She was pretty sure it wasn't going to cut it in D.C. But, since it was her first function it would have to do.

After putting on some simple silver jewelry, her heels, and a bit of her favorite perfume—Prada's Iris—she grabbed a black wrap threaded with silver, got into her coat, and ran out the door. She was somewhat glad that Alice had gone on ahead. Alice probably would have given her a hard time about the coat, but she'd much rather be somewhat unfashionable than catch hypothermia. Alice claimed that beauty was pain, but beauty didn't have to lead to death either.

Once she was settled in the car she took her first deep breath, trying to enjoy the few minutes of silence and solitude before they reached the Kennedy Center. It was probably the only peace she was going to have for the rest of the evening. She knew that the moment she reached their destination she was going to be inundated by people trying to get information about Carlisle's plans, and though she knew what those plans were, right now her only option was to avoid giving a direct answer.

She'd almost dozed off when the driver announced that they were there and she slipped out of the car, remembering to take her wrap and clutch with her. As she stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the Kennedy Center she sighed as she looked around, wondering for the hundredth time how she'd gotten here amongst the powerful and the glamorous. She made her way up the steps towards the entrance, glancing at the people that were moving around her.

Once she entered the Center, went through security and checked her coat she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and texted Jasper, wondering where Senator Cullen's contingent was. As she waited for an answer she started to wander around a bit, hoping that she wouldn't be recognized.

)( )( )( )(

Edward had been meaning to go to the small building on Sanders Street where his unnamed angel lived, but the rest of his week had been so busy that had hadn't even had a chance to make it home before midnight on most days.

He'd been busy fielding calls and making inquiries about Senator Volturi's intentions now that Senator Cullen's intentions to run for President seemed to be solidifying. Sure, right now it was only speculation that Cullen was preparing to make an announcement in this regard, but it was enough to set everyone in the party on edge…including Senator Volturi.

When Aro had found out that Senator Cullen had managed to secure a short meet up with the President at the Kennedy Center function, he had been furious. They both knew that such a meeting meant that Cullen would probably be talking to the President about running for the nation's highest office…and that he would be seeking his endorsement. The fact that he had secured the brief meeting meant he already had one foot in the door. No, Aro was not happy in the least.

Now, where he had been hoping to enjoy an easy evening he was going to be working hard, trying to assure people that if Senator Cullen was indeed meeting with the President it didn't' necessarily mean an endorsement. Then he had the hard work ahead of him of making sure that the President actually avoided supporting Cullen. Best case scenario was he could keep the President from endorsing anyone until the party actually selected their candidate. It was all he could do for Senator Volturi. An actual endorsement was out of the question. Honestly, many people didn't like Aro.

Edward included.

As he strolled up the steps to the entrance of the Kennedy Center he heard his name called a few times and he would turn, wave or nod in greeting, but he didn't slow enough to give any of them time to approach him and start a conversation.

He showed his credentials to security and then checked his coat before he started to wander around a bit. He was sure that his staff was going to find him at any moment so for now he enjoyed the few precious moments he had to himself before he went into work mode.

He remembered his first time at the Kennedy Center. For some reason he still didn't comprehend his parents decided that he was old enough to attend a function when he was about seven years old. He'd spent most of the evening hiding behind potted plants and under tables covered in long table cloths, avoiding his father's staff's detection. He'd gotten his video games taken away for a week after that and it wasn't till much later that he was allowed to attend formal functions with his folks again.

He was looking around, wondering how long he could avoid detection this time without actually ducking behind a plant or under a table when he thought he saw his angel's face in the crowd.

Could it be? Was she really here?

It was strange how he felt his pulse racing at just the thought that he might actually run into her again. He made his way to the crowd in the direction he thought he had seen her in. As he moved he tried to avoid making direct eye contact with anyone, knowing that that was an opening for them to approach him.

Just as he made his way to the side of the room where he thought he had seen her, the lights dimmed and picked up again, indicating it was time for people to take their seats. He cursed to himself as the flow of the crowd shifted and he was forced to retreat.

He moved towards the area where he knew that Senator Volturi's set of seats were located and it wasn't long before he saw the few select members of his staff that had been invited to the event. Among them was Emmett who was standing next to a stunning blonde, listening attentively to what she had to say.

Glancing up, Emmett saw Edward approaching and grinned brightly, whispering something to Rosalie. Tucking Rosalie's arm through his, they approached Edward.

"Edward! Been wondering when you were going to show up," Emmett said.

Edward couldn't help but notice how happy Emmett seemed and he grinned back and nodded. "Sorry, shirking duty," he half teased.

Emmett laughed and started to make the introductions. "Edward, I'd like for you to meet my date, Rosalie Hale. Rosalie, this is my boss and friend, Edward Masen."

When first meeting Edward, many women fell over themselves, gushing about how wonderful it was to meet him and flirted outrageously…much to the irritation of their dates if they had one. Rosalie only smiled and held out her hand politely to Edward.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Masen."

"Pleasure is all mine, Ms. Hale. Emmett's told me a lot about you. And, please, call me Edward," he said as he shook her hand.

"Didn't I tell you she was gorgeous," said Emmett as he beamed down at Rosalie.

"Emmett!" Rosalie said with a chuckle, hitting him lightly on the chest with her clutch.

Edward just chuckled and actually felt a twinge of envy as he saw the two of them interact. Looking around he hoped to catch a glimpse of the nameless lady that had been occupying his thoughts.

He was beginning to wonder if he had actually seen her.

As his eyes moved around he caught a glimpse of Jasper Whitlock talking to the President's Chief of Staff and he sighed a bit.

He had to concentrate on his work.

Emmett caught his attention by touching his arm and indicated that it was time to take their seats.

Edward nodded and followed inside, not noticing as Bella came up to Jasper who in turn introduced her to the man he had been speaking to.

)( )( )( )(

Partway through the evening's performance Jasper and Bella followed Carlisle out of the theater. Jasper and Carlisle were led away by the President's Chief of Staff.

She stood outside in the lobby area, looking around. Although she'd been introduced to some of the President's staff that were milling about, she didn't feel comfortable just walking up to any of them and starting a conversation.

Edward came out of the theater and looked around, hoping he could keep track of how much time Whitlock and Cullen actually spent with the President. He was also hoping that he could talk to some of the President's staff and get an idea about what was going on, but just as he was about to approach the Communication Director for the Whitehouse, he saw _her_.

He stopped in his tracks and his breath caught in his throat as he saw how beautiful she looked. When he had walked her home several nights ago he thought she had looked like an angle, standing in front of him, dressed in a flowing, strapless back evening gown, he knew he hadn't done her justice. She was a goddess.

As he walked up behind her he noticed her shawl fall from the crook of one of her elbows, one end billowing to the floor behind her back. She turned slightly to look over her shoulder and at that moment he wished he had a camera to catch her perfect profile.

She was just about to reach back for the end of the shawl to put it back in place when he came up to her and gently lifted the end of the scarf and draped it over her arm for her.

"Hello," he said softly with a crooked smile.

Bella's eyes widened in surprise as she saw him and she spoke softly back, "Hello." A blush immediately tinted her cheeks making him smile even more.

"Fancy running into you here," he said as he watched her place the shawl more securely around her.

"Yes, well, it's a very pleasant surprise," she said in response.

"Is it?" he asked, smiling even more. 'A very pleasant surprise,' she'd said, that was a good sign. Perhaps she had been thinking of him as much as he'd been thinking about her.

She nodded and blushed, not sure of what to say, so to spare her the embarrassment of her admission he spoke up, "I've been hoping to run into you again."

"Have you?" she smiled.

He nodded. "Yes, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." He didn't know what caused him to confess that, but there it was. Clearing his throat he continued, "I think I made a mistake the other night."

She tilted her head curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"I should have asked for your name…and number."

She smiled and held out her hand with a smile. "I'm Bella."

He felt relieved when she didn't say her last name. It meant that he didn't have to share his own. Taking her hand, he leaned over and brushed his lips lightly against her knuckles. "Pleasure to see you again, Bella. I'm Edward."

She blushed again as she felt his lips brush against her skin. "It's very nice to see you again, Edward." She was thrilled to have him close, and grateful that she was speaking coherently this time.

"How are you enjoying the show?" he asked.

"Oh, it's lovely. I never thought I would have the opportunity to see YoYo Ma and Itzahak Perlman perform together," Bella responded.

Edward smiled. "A fan of classical music then?"

Bella smiled. "Amongst other kinds of music."

"Oh?" Edward said, hoping she'd continue so he could hear more of her voice. Concentrating on the tenor of her voice helped him push down the urge to reach out and touch her.

She shrugged. "Concerts like this are wonderful. The beauty of the music reaches down to the very depths of the soul and warms it, but there's something just as great about going to an intimate set and seeing an indie singer crooning or going to a rock concert and feeling the energy radiating off the stage and the crowd."

Edward smiled at her words. This was a woman after his own heart.

"Seems like you like a wide variety of music, Bella."

Bella nodded and smiled. "Mom loved classical and more folksy stuff. Dad was more of a rock kinda guy."

Edward smiled and asked her a bit more about her favorite bands as he shared some of their own.

Neither of them noticed that people were watching. At that moment neither of them cared.

They had been speaking for only a short time when movement of the Secret Service indicated that the President was probably coming out from his meeting with Cullen.

He sighed and looked to Bella. "Listen, Bella. I have to go, but I was wondering, are you busy Friday night?"

Bella was caught off guard, not expecting the perfect specimen of a man in front of her to want to see her again, but she smiled shyly. "No. No, I'm not busy."

"Would you like to have dinner? Seven o'clock perhaps?" Edward asked, hoping he didn't sound as hopeful and desperate as he felt.

Bella just nodded. "I'd like that. Should I give you my number?"

"Exchanging numbers might not be a bad idea." He chuckled and took out his cell phone, entering her number and then calling hers so she could save it when convenient.

"Thank you. Should I pick you up at your place at seven then?" Edward asked.

"Sure. Do you need directions?" Bella asked.

He chuckled and shook his head, grinning, "No, I know where you live."

Bella blushed. "Oh, yeah, of course."

He smiled and noticed that the President had come out of a door at the opposite end of the room, Senator Cullen and Whitlock following not too far behind.

Bella hadn't seen them because her back was to the door.

When he saw Jasper excuse himself from the senator's side as he headed back into the theater and head his way, Edward stifled a sigh.

Back to business.

He was just about to excuse himself from Bella's side, figuring that Whitlock was looking for him, but as Jasper drew closer he called out, "Bella!"

Edward blinked in surprise and watched as Bella smiled at Jasper.

Jasper came up and nodded, "Hello, Masen. I see that you've finally met our Director of Communication."

Bella's eyes widened as she looked back at Edward. Now she knew why he had always looked so familiar. Over the years she had seen photographs of Edward Masen, Jr., but she had never paid close attention to them. She wasn't the type to follow political gossip. Now she wished she had.

She'd just accepted a date with one of the world's most eligible bachelors…and he worked for the competition.

**A/N: So today you get an extra long chapter as a treat. Well, I wanted to treat you and I also didn't want to suffer the wrath of my readers if I didn't get Bella and Edward's next meeting out.**

**I will be **_**trying**_** to post daily, but sometimes that's more possible than other times. I hope you guys are enjoying the story.**

**Please continue to leave reviews and feedback!**


	9. Chapter 9

The morning after the event at the Kennedy Center Bella woke up late and made her way to the kitchen. She'd had trouble going to sleep after getting home and had tried watching a movie, but the noises coming from Alice's bedroom had driven her back into her own room.

She'd tried to go to sleep then, but her thoughts kept going back to Edward. Her mystery man was Edward Masen, Jr. And, she was supposed to go out with him in six days.

Bella couldn't believe that she hadn't recognized him. Now that she had a name to go with the face it was rather obvious. _He looks familiar_, she thought. _What the fuck is wrong with you, Bella Marie?_

She'd tossed and turned the rest of the night, still berating herself for not recognizing him and wondering at the completely shocked look on his face when Jasper had started addressing her. Was he worried about mixing their professional and personal lives?

She was.

But, she also wanted to go out with him.

He was handsome, smart, a gentleman, and she enjoyed his company.

He also worked for Senator Aro Volturi.

She knew that that was going to be an issue. She knew it as soon as she figured out who he was and the fact that she kept the fact that she had a date with Edward from Jasper when he asked what they had been talking about was another big clue that she shouldn't go out with him.

But, she _really_ wanted to.

By the time she had gotten to sleep it had been the wee hours of the morning and she was lucky that she didn't have to go into the office since it was a Saturday.

Not that she wouldn't be working in the form of answering emails and taking some calls. It was just the nature of the job.

Stumbling into the kitchen she was happy to see that there was some coffee sitting in the coffee pot and she poured herself a cup before she rummaged through the fridge, relieved to see that they had groceries.

She started to make herself an omelet when Jasper came out of Alice's room wearing nothing but a pair of tuxedo pants riding low on his hips.

Most women would have swooned at seeing a man like Jasper, who was fit and chiseled, walking around with his chest bare. Bella just wrinkled her nose. Jasper was her boss, but she also had started to think of him like a big brother. Besides that the idea that he was almost naked because he'd been doing her best friend killed any romantic notions.

"Really, Jasper, you need to put on more clothes," Bella said as she started to crack eggs into a bowl.

Jasper laughed and sat at one of the barstools that were located at the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room.

"You making one of your special omelets? Can you make one for me and one for Alice?"

Bella arched a brow and started to break more eggs into the bowl. "I thought you two had eaten already since the coffee was already made."

"Uh, yeah, well, we started thought about it and then we, um, we got kinda distracted," Jasper replied sheepishly, running his hand through his already mussed up hair.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't need to know anymore."

Alice came in wearing her robe and bounced into the kitchen. "Need to know anymore about what?"

Jasper chuckled. "About what distracted us from making breakfast after we got the coffee started."

Alice chuckled and looked towards Bella. "Sorry. Oooo, is that one of your special omelets?"

"I'm making three of them," Bella replied and started to beat the eggs after adding a bit of milk, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to the bowl.

As she continued to cook they talked about the concert the previous evening and though Jasper wasn't saying much about Senator Cullen's meeting with the President, he did tell them that things went well.

Eventually, Jasper brought up the one subject that she was hoping to avoid.

"Bella got to meet Edward Masen last night," Jasper said to Alice.

Alice blinked and looked to Bella. "Did you?" Something about the way Bella looked at her told her not to ask many questions and she shrugged it off for her sake. "Was bound to happen sooner or later," Alice said and continued to peruse the paper while sipping her coffee.

Jasper arched a brow at Alice's nonchalant attitude, but brushed it off and continued to eat his omelet.

Later after Jasper finally left their place and while Bella was answering some emails on her laptop while sitting on the couch, Alice came over and sat at the other end of the couch and watched her for a while.

Bella felt her looking and she glanced up once, but kept typing. Finally she sighed and asked, "What?"

"So…you met Edward Masen," Alice said matter-of-factly.

Bella blushed and nodded.

The blush told Alice more than if she had said anything. "So you found him good looking."

"Who wouldn't find him good looking, Alice?" Bella said with a sigh, trying to concentrate on the email she'd been working on.

Alice persisted, "So, what'd you two talk about?"

Bella shrugged. "Music."

"Music?" Alice said with a tilt of her head. "What aren't you telling me, Bella?"

Bella sighed and shut her laptop. "He's my mystery man."

"You're mystery man?" Alice asked in confusion then it seemed to dawn on her. "Wait! You don't mean the handsome stranger who walked you home the other night, do you?"

Bella only nodded.

"OH MY GOD, BELLA! You mean all this time that was Edward-freakin'-Masen? How did you not know that!" Alice exclaimed, causing Bella to cringe.

"I told you he looked familiar!" Bella said in her defense.

Alice groaned and palmed her face. "Bella!"

"I know! I know! I'm a complete dork!" Bella said with a groan of her own.

Alice couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, it happens all the time. It's kinda hard for the mind to shift from recognizing someone off the pages of a magazine or off a tv screen to what they look like standing right in front of you."

Bella nodded, though that really didn't make her feel all that better.

"So…what happened?" asked Alice, probing for more information.

"He…asked me to go to dinner with him on Friday," Bella said, the blush rising on her cheeks again.

"He what!" Alice squealed. "Oh my God!"

Bella sighed, closed her eyes, and let her head fall against the back of the sofa.

"Did you say yes?" To say that Alice was excited would have been an understatement.

"Yes," said Bella, "but I said yes _before_ I knew who he was."

"Oh," said Alice, her face turning serious. "You're worried because he works for Senator Volturi?"

Bella turned her head, looked at him, and nodded.

"Well, that does present a complication, doesn't it?" said Alice.

Bella just sighed, closed her eyes and nodded again.

"Do you like him?" Alice asked softly.

"Yes," Bella said softly.

Alice nodded. "Then I think you should go."

Bella blinked and opened her mouth to argue.

"Stop. I know what you're going to say," said Alice. "There are lots of reasons not to do it. You work for my dad, he works for Volturi being chief among them. Am I right?"

Bella nodded.

"You can't let your career get in the way of your life. You can't make your career your life for that matter." Alice smiled. "My mother told me that she told my dad that when he first got into office. Said that it saved their marriage…and made him such a good public servant."

"How does she figure it did that? The public servant part I mean…" Bella asked.

"Well," Alice continued, "he wants to do what's right because he wants to make this a better country for his family, but more than that, how can he help this be a good nation of happy citizens if he's not a good, happy man?" Alice sighed. "Bella, I'm not saying that this is going to be easy. Hell, I'm not even saying that it's going to go anywhere between you and Edward. The point is you shouldn't let who you work for or your work in general affect your love life. You just have to learn to separate the two in this case. Again, not easy, but it's possible."

Bella listened and nodded.

"So, you're going to go out with him?" Alice asked with a smile.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I think I am."

)( )( )( )(

Edward smiled and looked out the window at the balcony where Emmett was attempting to use a small grill to cook some steaks. It was actually a rather amusing sight. Emmett was standing there, huddled over the tiny grill in his parka and beanie, stamping his feet against the cold.

"Is he always this pigheaded?" Rosalie asked as she came to stand beside Edward and look at Emmett out the window.

Edward chuckled and sipped at his beer. "Sorry to say that he is." He looked back outside. "He's going to freeze his balls off."

Rosalie snickered. "I sure hope not." She laughed and shook her head as she watched Emmett. "Do you think he's actually going to be able to cook those steaks?"

Edward snorted and turned away from the window. "No. I'm prepared to order pizza." He sat on the couch and watched as Rosalie sat on the chair across from him.

"How long do you think he'll be at it?" she asked as she continued to nurse her beer.

"Till he gets tired of trying to relight the fire, runs out of lighter fluid, or starts to suffer from frostbite," Edward said.

Rosalie snickered again. "You two are rather close."

Edward just nodded in response. "Emmett's a great guy."

"Yes, he is," Rosalie agreed, looking over her shoulder towards the balcony again.

Emmett was making his way back in. "That's it! I'm tired of restarting the fire. I'm out of lighter fluid, and I think I have frostbite."

Rosalie looked at Edward in surprise and they both broke out laughing.

"I'll order the pizza," said Edward, still chuckling.

Emmett took off his parka and threw it on a chair before he went to grab a beer from the fridge as Edward pulled out his cell and ordered the pizza. Once everyone was settled in the living room to wait, Emmett asked Edward, "So, the Senator tear you a new one last night after the concert?"

Edward sighed and ran his hand through his hair. The previous evening he was supposed to have had drinks with Rosalie and Emmett, but Senator Volturi had insisted on meeting with Edward right afterwards. To say that the meeting had been tense would have been an understatement.

"That bad?" Emmett asked with a frown. When Edward didn't answer Emmett sighed. "Damn, that means you're both going to be running us ragged the whole week."

"We'll figure it out," said Edward.

Emmett snorted and sipped at his bottle of beer. "Let's not talk shop though. Felix told me he saw you talking with a hot little number last night."

Felix was another staffer on Senator Volturi's communication team. Although he was the quiet, he was a cocky bastard and if he'd noticed Bella, well, Edward wasn't too keen on where that might lead.

"Did he?" said Edward as he continued to sip at his beer.

"C'mon, don't be coy, Edward," it was Rosalie that spoke up this time. "Were you taking up a hottie last night?"

Emmett grinned, knowing Rosalie wasn't going to let Edward get by with saying nothing.

Edward seemed to hesitate and grimace as he nodded.

"Oooo, now you have to tell!" said Rosalie.

"Well, there was this woman that I asked out," Edward admitted reluctantly.

Emmett had started to snicker, but now he was just surprised. Edward didn't date. He knew that.

"And?" Emmett did the probing this time.

"And, I don't think it's going to work out. I'll probably cancel," Edward said with a shrug.

"What?" said Emmett with a frown at the same time that Rosie said, "Why?"

Edward shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with all the scrutiny.

"Well, I asked her out before I knew who she was," said Edward with a sigh.

"Who is she?" Rosalie asked, obviously curious. Emmett was also looking at Edward with curiosity and he asked, "Was she a prostitute?"

"Emmett!" Rosalie exclaimed, laughing and throwing a pillow at him. Emmett ducked the pillow, "What! Otherwise she's a lobbyist or a reporter and Edward can smell them a mile away. Avoids them like the plague.

Edward shook his head. "She's not a prostitute, a lobbyist, or a reporter." He sighed and continued, "Her name is Bella Swan…she's Director of Communications for Senator Cullen."

Rosalie just looked at him with wide eyes, but Edward didn't notice as Emmett let out a low whistle. "I can see where that would be a problem."

"I think you should go," said Rosalie, looking at Edward curiously.

Emmett and Edward both looked her way and she shrugged. "What? It's only a date for Pete's sake!"

Emmett's brows drew together thoughtfully and he nodded. "True. Just go with the flow, man."

Edward sighed, closed his eyes, and let his head fall back against the couch, still not sure about what he was going to do.


	10. Chapter 10

Edward's week was pure hell. Now that it was just a matter of when, not if, Cullen was going to throw his hat in the ring and vie for the party's nomination for President in the next election, things in Senator Volturi's office were going full throttle.

He was in late meeting with the Senator and other top members of his staff—including Emmett, Lauren Mallory, Director of Communications, Felix, her right hand speech writer, and several others—strategizing and preparing to make an announcement. The question remained if they were going to take their time and let Cullen make his announcement first and then wait till some of the press coverage and excitement from that died down or if they were going to make a preemptive strike and announce before Cullen did.

So far it seemed like the latter was their better option.

Of course, that also meant more work or everyone on Senator Volturi's staff. They had to line up meetings with party leadership, talking to strategists, worry about fundraising…It was a whole different ballgame.

He'd actually played some phone tag with Bella during the week. After staring at her number a couple of times he had finally gotten the courage to call her up on Wednesday to confirm that they were meeting up for dinner on Friday night. When he'd gotten her voice mail he'd left a brief message. She'd called back when he happened to be in a meeting with Senator Volturi and left a message stating that she was looking forward to having dinner with him.

Edward had smiled at hearing her voice he was actually looking forward to their date, despite all the anxiety he had felt since asking her out. He was going to try to think of her as the angel in the snow, the goddess in the evening dress, not Director of Communication for his boss' greatest rival.

In the little time he had where his thoughts weren't completely occupied by his job, he thought of her and their date, planning. He was going to take her to a small bistro that he enjoyed near the National Mall, and thought that perhaps they could go for a short walk around there after dinner was over.

Unfortunately, he only had enough time to plan that far and then he was back in the thick of things. But, everyone noticed that he was smiling a bit more and seemed excited. Everyone figured it was due to the upcoming run for the Presidency.

Emmett knew better.

)( )( )( )(

Bella had been a nervous wreck all week. In addition to preparing the main speech for Senator Cullen's upcoming announcement regarding his seeking his party's nomination for President of the United States, she was going over press releases, fielding calls from the media, and working with some of the party's more media savvy advisors who were helping her navigate this very new terrain. She was on a steep learning curve and she didn't know if she was ready, but she was going to have to be.

The only smile that had really crossed her face all week had come when she'd gotten Edward's message. She'd actually been expecting him to call and cancel, after all the very same thought had crossed her mind a couple of times, but when she heard that he was calling to confirm she'd felt excited and giddy.

She'd called back of course, saying that she would be ready at 7 p.m. on Friday and had given him her apartment number so he could pick her up.

When she got to her apartment a little after 5 p.m. on Friday Alice immediately pulled her towards her bathroom and if Bella hadn't insisted that she would be quick about it, she was sure that Alice would have stripped her down and bathed her herself. As it was, Alice barely gave her time to slip on a bathrobe before she was blow drying Bella's hair and putting on an artfully understated layer of make up on her, sticking to mascara, a bit of eyeliner, blush, lip gloss and powder.

Apparently, she'd even taken the time to pick out an outfit for Bella consisting of a pair of tight black pants, high heeled, knee high boots, and a red turtle neck sweater.

"You'll wear your black coat of course," Alice said she watched Bella get dressed.

"Um, all right. Shouldn't you be getting ready? I thought you were going out with Rosalie tonight," Bella asked in a muffled voice as she pulled on the sweater.

"Yes," Alice replied, "but I'm hanging out with Rosalie so I don't have to get to gussied up and besides, she's not going to be here till 8. I have plenty of time."

Bella smiled as she untucked her hair from the back of her sweater and smoothed it out. "How do I look?" she asked nervously.

Alice grinned from where she sat at the foot of Bella's bed. "I think Edward Masen isn't going to know what hit him."

Bella blushed and looked at herself in the full length mirror inside her closet door. She was nervous beyond belief and it wasn't because she was going out with Edward Masen, it was because she really liked him. Sure, she'd only spoken to him two times, but she'd felt a connection with him.

When she turned around she barely raised her hands in time before Alice squirted her in the face with perfume. "Agghhh! ALICE!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I was going to spray your hair and you turned around!" Alice said turning Bella around and spritzing her hair.

"_Why_ are we putting perfume in my hair?" Bella asked with a sigh, thinking she better wash her hands since they now were overpowered with the scent of Prada's Iris perfume.

"It's a well known fact that hair is the part of the body that holds scent the longest," Alice said pertly as she went to set Bella's bottle of perfume back in the bathroom.

Bella sighed and followed her there and washed her hands.

"You look great, Bella!" Alice said with a bright smile.

Bella smiled. She actually felt really pretty. Alice had done wonders with her hair and makeup and the outfit was perfect.

"Thank you," she said, giving Alice a hug.

Alice hugged her back and grinned. "Now, you go sit in the living room and wait. Try not to fidget too much."

Bella laughed and went to wait, noting it was already 6:40 p.m.

An hour later she was still waiting.

)( )( )( )(

Edward had been trying to talk Senator Volturi out of making any rash movies, trying to argue that they need to strategize before diving into anything. It wasn't as simple as making an announcement that he was going to run.

It had taken a while to convince the team, it had taken even longer to convince Aro. By the time he left his office he was worn out and had a million other things to deal with. The phone hadn't stopped ringing, the emails hadn't stopped coming, and his Blackberry hadn't stopped buzzing. All this on a Friday night.

He was going over another email when Emmett walked into the office, returning from a meeting with some of the party's representatives. It had gone longer than planned and though he thought he would return back to his apartment after he was done, Emmett decided to go stop by the office to jot down some things from the meeting before he forgot.

He was surprised when he saw the light on in Edward's office and he knocked and peeked in.

"Edward?"

Edward glanced up tiredly from the computer screen. "Oh, hey, Emmett. How'd your meeting go?"

Emmett frowned, ignoring the question. "What are you still doing here, Chief?"

Edward rubbed his face tiredly and looked to his computer screen. "Just working. What else?"

"So you called Swan and cancelled?" Emmett asked.

Edward looked at him in shock. "What?" He looked at the clock on his desk and realized that it was 9 p.m. and he ran his hands through his hair and tugged in frustration. "Oh fucking hell!"

"You stood her up?" Emmet asked incredulously.

Edward jumped up from his chair and looked one way to the other, as if he wasn't sure what to do and then he grabbed his jacket off the back of his office chair and hurriedly jerked it on.

"Seriously, Edward, what the fuck?" Emmett said.

"Time got away from me!" Edward said as he reached for his coat. "Christ! I'm fucked!"

Emmett frowned. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" Edward replied as he slipped on his coat and rushed out of the office.

)( )( )( )(

Bella had insisted that Alice and Rosalie go out despite the fact that Edward hadn't shown up by 7:30. They had tickets for a show and though they had been more than willing to skip it and wait with her, she told him that she was sure Edward was just late, not wanting to ruin their plans. After an hour and a half of waiting she realized he wasn't going to show up so she changed out of her outfit, slipped into her pajamas and sat on the couch, eating from a pint of Chunky Monkey while watching Heathers.

Neither of those things really cheered her up and she still felt miserable when the movie ended and she had finished the entire pint of ice cream.

She was going through the DVD collection that she and Alice kept when she heard something outside her door and what sounded like someone cursing.

It went quiet again and she figured it was just one of the neighbors.

She had just chosen Pretty In Pink as her next movie when she jumped at hearing a knock on her door. She walked over and looked through the peephole, but all he saw was green. She frowned in confusion and called out, "Who is it?"

"Is this Bella Swan's apartment?" asked a voice that was muffled by the thick door.

"Who's asking?" Bella said with a sigh.

"It's, uh, Edward. Edward Masen…"

Bella stepped back from the door and looked at it with wide, surprised eyes. After a moment she heard the voice through the door again.

"Hello?"

She didn't think about her appearance as she opened the door, but instead of seeing Edward she just saw a large plant, a palm of some sort. Edward finally peeked around it and he blinked as he took in her appearance.

She looked adorable in a pair of green pajama pants with a brown tank top and old ratty looking brown cardigan sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she was wearing fuzzy pink slippers that had seen better days.

When she noticed he was looking her over, she blushed and pulled the cardigan closed. "Um, hello, Edward."

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I had meetings…The Senator…It's not an excuse…I didn't want you to think I stood you up!" He dumped the large potted palm in her arms. "This is for you."

"Uh…thank you?" Bella said in a confused tone and put the plant down near the entrance since it was a bit heavy. When she looked at Edward again she noticed that he was carrying a brown paper bag.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, with a hopeful look. "I brought Chinese."


	11. Chapter 11

Bella didn't answer Edward's question and just stood to one side to let him in. He came in and stood there awkwardly, looking around as Bella locked up behind him.

As she passed him and went towards the living area she motioned to a seating area. "Uh, come on in."

Edward followed behind her and set the bag of Chinese on the coffee table. "I really am sorry, Bella. I just lost track of time. I know it isn't an excuse for standing you up like that and I feel retched."

"Would you like to have a seat?" she asked as she motioned to an empty chair while she moved around, cleaning up the empty pint of Ben & Jerry's, dirty spoon, napkins, and the Heather's DVD cover.

Edward wasn't sure if he should take off his coat or not, but he did so before he moved to sit down. "Thank you." He looked around. "This is a nice place."

"Thank you," replied Bella as she moved to the kitchen and put the empty carton in the rubbish bin and put the spoon in the sink. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Um," Edward hesitated, "You got a beer?"

Bella nodded and grabbed a beer from the fridge as well as a bottle of water for herself before she made her way back to the living room. Handing the bottle to Edward as she sat down, she asked, "Rough week?"

Edward nodded and managed to give her a bit of a smile. "You can't even imagine."

"Oh, I have a bit of an idea," said Bella.

Edward sighed. "I'm sure you do."

She sat there fidgeting with the glass of water, feeling awkward. Edward was fiddling with the label on his bottle of beer.

"I really feel like a heel for standing you up, Bella." He really didn't know how else he could apologize and he felt like hiding under his coat when she just continued to look at him. "Um…so…have you eaten? Something other than ice cream I mean."

Bella blushed brightly at the reminder of all the ice cream she'd eaten while sulking because he hadn't shown up. She was definitely going to have to work off those calories. She hesitated and shook her head.

Without waiting for an invitation to do so he moved to the edge of the chair he was sitting on and started to unpack the Chinese food from the brown paper bag onto the coffee table. "I didn't know what you like so I got a little of everything…"

"I'm allergic to Chinese food," Bella stated flatly.

Edward paused in the act of unpacking and looked at her with wide eyes, turning red. "Oh…I…I should have called…I'm sorry…I'll…"

She sighed. "I'm just kidding, but yes, you should have called."

Edward winced a bit, nodded, and wasn't exactly sure if he should continue unpacking the Chinese food. Taking the decision out of his hand, Bella moved to help him unpack the rest of the food.

"I sat here waiting for an hour and a half before I changed," she said with a frown.

Edward felt like shit. "I'm really sorry, Bella. It won't happen again. I'll make it up to you."

She arched a brow at that and dug around in the bag for some chopsticks. She opened them up and opened the container of lemongrass chicken. Edward looked in the bag and asked. "Um, may I borrow a fork?"

"You don't know how to eat with chopsticks?" she asked with a smile, the first smile she'd actually given him since he got there.

He shrugged sheepishly. "Just…never learned."

"I think you should try," she said, sliding a pair of chopsticks over to him, though Edward missed the mischievous look in her eyes as she did.

"Uh…all right." He was pretty sure that his was going to end in disaster.

Sure enough, a short time later he was covered in sweet 'n sour sauce and both of them were laughing as he tried to stab his pork with the chopstick, trying to use it as a skewer.

Laughing Bella started to get up. "I'll get you a fork."

He looked down at his stained shirt and chuckled. "Bit late for that, don't you think?"

She chuckled. "Well, there are a few clean spots left."

He smiled crookedly at her. "A fork would be great."

He watched her walk away and smiled. She'd seemed uncomfortable with him at first, but it seemed the she was loosening up and he was glad. He liked her laugh and her smile. As she came to sit back down on the floor next to the coffee table where he was waiting he said, "I really did have a nice evening planned. I had made reservations at a bistro near the National Mall, and then I was hoping that we could go for a walk."

"That sounds lovely," she said, eating more chicken.

"Maybe we can do that soon?" he asked hopefully.

She looked up from the carton of fried rice she'd been picking through and simply said, "Maybe."

It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. He nodded and ate much more easily now that he was using a fork.

"What were you watching if I may ask?" he asked while pointing to the television which now had the DVD player's screen saver showing.

"Oh, Heathers. It's a movie with Winona Ryder and Christian S…" before she could finish her sentence he interrupted her.

"I've seen the movie Heathers," he chuckled.

"Oh, well, great revenge flick," Bella said with a shrug.

Edward shifted a bit uncomfortably where he sat on the floor in front of the coffee table. He'd driven her to thoughts of revenge. That wasn't good. "Oh, um, yeah. I think everyone has those fantasies in high school."

"Hmm," said Bella, "not just high school."

Edward frowned a bit and nodded in agreement, "Uh, yeah."

Bella knew that she was making him uncomfortable and chuckled. "Don't worry, Edward. It's just a film that's full of angst. I'm not plotting against you or anything. Besides, I'm sure in your own way, when you were in school you were more like the Heathers."

"Hm," Edward said while looking thoughtful, "so, let me get this straight. You think I was popular?"

Bella nodded and continued to eat.

"Think I had it easy?" Edward asked with an arched brow.

Bella shrugged and finished her bite of food before replying, "With certain things."

Edward only replied with a, "Hmm," frowning a bit as he picked through one of the cartons of food with his fork. "Well, for the record, I wasn't all that popular,"

She arched a brow at him as if to say, _Really?_

"Well, not in the way that you think," he said with a bit of a smile in reply to the look she gave him. "My family was popular, that rubbed off a bit, but people never got to know the real me. People wanted to hang out with me because I was a Masen, not because I'm Edward. _**I**_ wasn't popular. Does that make sense?"

Bella nodded and gave him a bit of a smile. "Yeah, that makes sense." She couldn't imagine what that was like.

He nodded and took another bite of his food.

"I didn't recognize you when we first met you know. Not even the second time when we started talking. It didn't click until Jasper said your name," Bella said with a blush. "In other words, I didn't agree to go out with you because you're Edward Masen."

He smiled at her. "I know."

"I actually almost cancelled because you're Edward Masen," she said with a sigh.

He frowned. "You mean because of my family history or because I work for Aro Volturi?"

"Both," she admitted with a smile.

He nodded. "Understandable. I almost cancelled for the same reason. Uh, I mean because you work for Senator Cullen." He quickly added. "It's not the reason I was late though!"

Bella just sighed and nodded.

"A meeting with the Senator ran over and then I was getting caught up and before I know it my Deputy Chief of Staff, Emmett McCarty made me aware of what time it was and I knew I was fucked. Uh. Pardon my language," Edward said with a bit of a grimace.

Bella couldn't help but snicker. "So what? You just decided to show up on my doorstop 3 hours later with a bag of Chinese and a potted palm?"

Edward ran his hand through his hair nervously as he replied, "Uh, yeah. I just…I didn't want to just call and really wanted to apologize in person, and since we were supposed to have dinner together, I figured you might not have eaten. I was really just hoping that you wouldn't slam the door in my face."

"What's the story with the palm anyway? Is it some sort of plant thing that I don't know about? Like red roses mean love, potted palms mean you're sorry?" Bella asked while glancing towards the palm which was still where she'd left it near the door.

Edward laughed, "Yeah, potted palms signify that you royally fucked up and every flower shop is closed on a Friday night."

Bella couldn't help but laugh as well. "Where did you get it?"

"Well," Edward hedged, "I really did stop at two flower shops, but they were closed. I gave up on that and went to pick up the food when I saw a flower display there and asked if I could buy it. They looked at me like I was crazy and refused. I insisted. The owner finally agreed to sell me the palm. I figured it was better than nothing."

Bella couldn't help but giggle.

Edward looked to the potted tree and shook his head. "Damn thing was heavy too. Walked almost three blocks juggling it and the food."

Bella burst out laughing then and he couldn't help but join her.


	12. Chapter 12

Edward went over to Emmett's place the next day to watch a basketball game on the television taking a six pack of beer with him. Emmett was going to attempt to make the steaks again, but this time he was going to be cooking them in the kitchen rather than trying to use the grill.

As soon as Emmett opened the door he was grilling Edward though.

"So what happened? Did you see her? Was she pissed? Did you apologize?" Emmett started to shoot off one question after the other.

"Whoa there, Emmett! One question at a time please," Edward responded with a shake of his head as he pushed past Emmett into the apartment and made his way to the fridge where he deposited the six pack.

"Well, you going to tell me what happened or not?" Emmett asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

Edward noticed the steaks sitting out. "Those things defrosted enough?"

"Edward?"

"You shouldn't have put the steaks in the freezer at all, you know?" Edward continued, seeming to ignore Emmett.

"Edward…" Emmett was beginning to sound more frustrated.

"Steak doesn't taste the same when it's been frozen. It's all about the quality of the meat and keeping it fresh," Edward went on without missing a beat.

"EDWARD!" Emmett finally bellowed in frustration.

Edward snickered and leaned against the counter. "What was the question again?"

Emmett scowled.

Edward snickered. "Didn't your momma ever tell you your face is going to stay that way?" He chuckled and shook his head. "I got to spend some time with the lovely Miss. Swan last evening."

Emmett grinned. "Did you now? So you went over to her place and she actually opened the door and didn't kick you in the balls for standing her up?"

Edward nodded.

"I suppose you turned on that Masen charm," Emmett chuckled.

Edward just snorted in response and sipped at his beer.

"Well, what'd you do? Did you at least buy her flowers or something?" Emmett persisted.

"Jeez, Emmett! When'd you become a woman?" Edward asked with a chuckle as he went to plop down onto the couch in the living room.

Emmett followed him, whining, "Aw, come on, man! Don't be like that! You left that office like your tail was on fire."

Edward laughed and then he ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I left that office knowing I was completely fucked. I ran to that flower shop that I know is not too far from her place, but they were closed. Second flower shop was closed too so I just decided to grab her some food and show up at her place, hoping that she would let me in."

"Well, obviously she did," Emmett said as he wandered back to the kitchen to get his own beer.

"Yeah," replied Edward.

Emmett came back and sat down, sipping at his beer. "So everything went all right?"

Edward nodded and reached for the remote and started to flip through the channel guide.

"What's she like man?" Emmett as he settled in with his beer.

Edward considered the question. "She's beautiful, smart, funny…"

Emmett arched a brow. "You seeing her again?"

"I want to, but nothing's set yet," Edward said hesitantly. "I asked right before I left and she said I should get back to her later in the week when our schedules were more definite."

"Ah, she's still tripping about your standing her up in other words," Emmett said with a nod. Edward just nodded and sighed in agreement.

"If you like her, then just don't back down," Emmett shrugged.

"Yes, we all know that that's _your_ tactic," Edward snorted.

"Hey, don't know my game plan, man. It works. You're looking at a man who's already been invited to go away for the weekend with none other than the hottie known as Rosalie Hale," Emmett said with a grin.

Edward arched a brow. "So soon?"

Emmett grinned. "What can I say? She just can't resist me."

Edward just laughed in response and put the game on.

"C'mon, Edward, you couldn't resist me either. It's how I ended up working for you and how we ended up being best buds."

Edward snorted. "Shut up, the games on."

"Seriously, man, just call the girl. Keep apologizing for being a jackass. Send her some flowers or something." Emmett just happened to glance Edward's way as he was talking and noticed that Edward was blushing.

"Uh, well, I sort of got her…something," Edward said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Something?" Emmett asked curiously.

Edward wouldn't look Emmett's way as he said, "Yeah, I got her a potted palm from the Chinese restaurant I stopped at."

)( )( )( )(

"He…got you a potted palm tree?" Alice said incredulously as she stood next to Bella in their living room, both of them holding cups of coffee and looking at the palm that was still sitting by the front door.

Bella nodded and sipped at her cup of coffee.

"Wait. What happened again?" Alice sounded thoroughly confused. She'd come home the previous evening to find a trail of potting soil down their hallway leading to their apartment door. She'd wondered where the heck it had come from, but being rather late she didn't have the chance to ask Bella till this morning. When she had asked the only reply she had gotten was a shrug as Bella said, "Edward got it for me."

That was how they both ended up standing in front of the palm sipping coffee. Bella with a slight smile curling up the corner of her lips, Alice with a confused look asking what had happened.

As they moved to the living room to curl up on the couch Bella explained that Edward hadn't shown up till a little past 10 p.m. and how he'd brought Chinese food and the potted palm.

"Let me get this straight," said Alice, "He stood you up."

"He, uh, got held back in a meeting," Bella said sheepishly.

"Held up in a meeting and forgot about your date," Alice clarified.

"Mmmhmm," replied Bella as she sipped at her coffee.

Alice continued, "And, he showed up here three hours late with Chinese…and a potted palm."

Bella nodded.

"I'm…confused," said Alice with a sigh.

Bella laughed. "Trust me, I was too when I opened the door and he was standing there with this palm tree. Apparently the flower shops he stopped at were closed and he bought the palm off of the Chinese restaurant where he got the food."

"Well," Alice looked at the palm with a grimace, "that's…something."

Bella giggled and Alice joined in.

"So, are you seeing him?" Alice asked after a while.

"Maybe," said Bella.

Alice arched a brow, "Maybe?"

"Well, I'd like to, but I told him to call me later in the week when our schedules are more definite," Bella said with a shrug.

"Good for you," Alice smiled. "Let him sweat it out a bit."

"He might not ask me out again," Bella said with a shrug.

"Oh, come on, Bella, the man didn't have to show up last night after he missed your date and he didn't have to bring you food…or a palm…" Alice snickered. "Who knows? Maybe it can be like, your love fern."

Bella snickered as well but then sighed, "I don't know, Alice, maybe it's just a sign of things to come. We're both always busy. I doubt that this is the last time he'll do something like this."

"What did I tell you before, Bella," Alice frowned. "You _make_ the time. I mean, he was obviously sorry and from what I've read about Edward Masen, well, he's not exactly the playboy type. I hear he doesn't go out much at all actually."

Bella frowned. "Then…why me?"

"Why not you?" Alice asked, tilting her head. "Look. You're smart, funny, and beautiful.." She held up her hand as Bella started to argue. "It's true. You just don't see yourself clearly. Do you honestly think Jasper started hanging around with you because you're smart? I mean, that _was_ part of it, but he found you attractive. Lucky for me he put you in the little sister category really soon after meeting you," Alice said with a chuckle.

"Jasper? He found me attractive?" Bella made a face. "Ew."

Alice laughed. "Hey! That's my hunk of a boyfriend you're talking about."

Bella chuckled and then sighed. "I'm not…bad. I mean, I'm okay looking, but we're talking about Edward Masen. You have seen him, right?"

"Not up close and personal like you have. I've seen him across the room at various functions, but we've never really been introduced," said Alice.

"He's…dreamy," sighed Bella. "Even all scruffy and tired looking as he was…covered in sweet 'n sour sauce."

Alice giggled again. "Well, I'm sure you knocked him dead with what you were wearing. Wait. Did you change?"

"Uh, yeah," Bella replied, refusing to meet Alice's gaze.

"Bella Marie Swan, what were you wearing when Edward came over?"

Bella looked down at herself, still wearing the same pajamas from the night before and she gave Alice a meaningful look.

Alice just palmed her face and groaned.

)( )( )( )(

Edward was laughing as the Chicago Bulls once again handed the Washington Wizards another loss.

"Why the hell do you keep supporting the damn Wizards when they always have their asses handed to them?" Edward asked Emmett with a chuckle.

"Oh fuck a duck!" said Emmett angrily as he pouted and hugged one of the throw pillows from the couch. "I will continue to support the Wizards till Tennessee gets its own team!"

"Tennessee? Get their own team? Never gone happen and you know it!" Edward said as he carried his plate and empty beer bottles to the kitchen.

"How do you know?" Emmett scowled.

"Well, for one thing, you don't have the capital base to establish a pro-basketball team," said Edward.

"We have the Titans," replied Emmett.

"Which you stole from Houston," Edward said as he rinsed off his dish and stuck it in the dishwasher. "Besides, Tennessee is weak. Your university mascot is the Volunteers. What kinda pansy ass mascot is that?"

"Don't you mess with my Volunteers!"

"I have never seen anyone run away screaming, 'It's the volunteers! Run for it!'," Edward laughed and purposely continued to mock the team from University of Tennessee, Emmett's alma mater. "'It's the volunteers, there a bunch of do-gooders! Help!'"

Emmett stood up and threw the throw pillow angrily onto the couch, "That's it!"

Edward was still laughing at him and Emmett looked like steam was going to come out of his ears. He was just about to storm into the kitchen when his cell rang and he went from an angry grizzly to a teddy bear in two seconds flat.

"Oh, hey, Rosie! How you doin'?" Emmett said laying on the charm thick.

Edward snickered. Emmett threw him the finger.

"Dinner tonight? Sure, hon." Emmett said as he started to gather up some empty beer bottles. He listened for a while. "I don't have to ask him. Edward would _love_ to have dinner with us and your friends."

Edward blinked and frowned at Emmett.

"I know because he'll work through the night otherwise and because he made fun of my Volunteers," Emmett continued and then groaned as he listened. "Not _those_ kind of volunteers. I meant the Tennessee Volunteers, as in the University of Tennessee."

Edward snickered again.

"Fine. Tonight. 8 p.m. Your place. Got it, hon. Do you need me to bring anything?" Emmett stopped talking a moment to listen. "See you then. Bye, sexy."

"Did you really just obligate me to have lunch with your girlfriend and some of her friends, Emmett?" Edward sighed.

Emmett shrugged.

"I'm not interested in being set up," Edward continued.

"Don't think it's like that," said Emmett. "C'mon, you might actually have fun. Just don't stand me up and show up with a plant or something."


	13. Chapter 13

Alice and Bella arrived at Rosalie's apartment early for a bit of girl talk before dinner, and it was a good thing they did. When they got there the smoke alarm was going off and after she threw the door open to let them in she ran back to the open windows, trying to fan smoke out of them.

Bella and Alice stood there a moment and then they tried to help, coughing at the smoke in the apartment.

"What happened!" asked Alice as she peeked in the kitchen only to see something charred and black sitting on a baking pan on the stove.

Bella, not knowing Rosalie that well, just opened another window and coughed a bit.

Eventually Rosalie explained that she'd been trying a new recipe that called for her cooking fish in parchment packets. She had no idea what went wrong, but while she was getting ready when the smoke alarm had gone off.

Rosalie looked distraught. "I'm trying to impress this guy with my cooking and I almost set the place on fire!"

"This that guy Emmett you were telling me about last night," Alice asked.

Rosalie nodded and huffed in disgust as she looked at the kitchen. "Now what am I supposed to do? He'll be here in an hour and I have six people to feed including myself!"

Alice looked at the kitchen and then back at Rosalie. "Well _I_ can't cook."

They both looked at Bella and her eyes widened. "Well, I know how to cook, but we only have an hour and I don't even know what ingredients you have in the kitchen."

Rosalie groaned and let her face fall into her hands. "This is a disaster."

"I think I know what we can do," said Bella sighed.

)( )( )( )(

Emmett was walking up the hallway to Rosalie's place with a bouquet of flowers, Edward walking beside him holding a glass of wine.

"Who is going to be at this dinner again?" asked Edward.

Emmett shrugged. "Rosalie just said she was having some friends over. Shouldn't be too many. Her place isn't that big."

Edward sighed and nodded. It wasn't that he was anti-social, far from it; his job actually called for him to interact with all sorts of people in all sorts of settings on a regular basis, but when he could grab time for himself he usually took it. The only reason he was here was because he knew Emmett really liked this woman and wanted them to become friends. He didn't plan to stay longer than necessary, figuring he'd make his excuses after dinner.

Edward couldn't help but chuckle as Emmett took a deep breath and knocked on one of the apartment doors.

"Shut up!" Emmett hissed under his breath right before Rosalie opened the door.

Emmett's smile grew a mile wide as he pulled Rosalie towards him and kissed her without even saying hello. Rosalie kissed him back, laughed and stood to one side to let them in. "Hello, baby…Hi, Edward."

As Emmett handed over the bouquet of flowers and kissed Rosalie again, Edward came in and took off his coat, pausing in the act when he saw Alice and Jasper curled up on the couch in the living room.

Whitlock…with his boss' daughter? Who knew?

He tried to hide his surprise and nodded as he took off his coat. "Whitlock…Miss. Cullen I believe."

Jasper was equally surprised to see Edward and taking his arm from around Alice's shoulder he stood up and shook Edward's hand. "Good to see you, Masen. Uh…" he turned to look at Alice who was now standing at his side. "May I introduce…"

Alice grinned and held out her hand to Edward. "Alice Cullen. Very nice to meet you Mr. Masen."

Edward smiled politely and shook her hand. "Please, call me Edward."

"All right, Edward, but only if you call me Alice," she said in reply.

Edward glanced towards the door where Rosalie was talking softly to Emmett as he hung up his coat and he turned back to Alice, holding up the wine bottle he was carrying. "Where should I put this?"

Alice pointed. "The kitchen is right through there."

Edward nodded, smiled at Rosalie as she took his coat to hang it up and made his way towards the kitchen. He was still mulling over the fact that it seemed that Senator Cullen's Chief of Staff was in a relationship with the Senator's daughter as he walked into the kitchen and realized someone was there.

He nearly dropped the wine bottle when he saw it was Bella.

"Oh! Hello," he said and just stood at the kitchen entrance, blinking in surprise.

When Bella saw him she gasped and nearly dropped the salad bowl she was holding. "Edward!"

Both just stood there awkwardly a second before he held up the wine bottle. "Should I open this?"

"Oh, um, sure. I mean, I guess." She laughed. "Actually, I don't know. Perhaps you should ask Rosalie."

Edward nodded, but instead of doing that he set the wine bottle on the kitchen counter.

"I…didn't know you would be here," Edward said as he leaned against the wall near the kitchen's entrance and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't know that you would be here either," Bella shrugged as she started to mix the salad in the bowl she'd been holding.

"Rosalie didn't tell you?" Edward asked.

"Uh, I don't know Rosalie all that well, this is only the third time I've met her actually." Bella replied with a shrug.

"Oh," Edward said with a surprised look. "You, uh, seem pretty comfortable in her kitchen."

Bella smiled. "She needed help."

Before anything else could be said Emmett wandered into the small kitchen with Rosalie.

"How's everything going?" Rosalie asked Bella nervously.

"Fine," said Bella with a smile.

Despite the fact that the small kitchen was now crowded with four of them in there, Edward wasn't moving to leave and Emmett just smiled at Bella and held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Emmett McCarty."

Bella smiled, wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and shook Emmett's hand. "Nice to meet you, Emmett. I'm Bella Swan."

Emmett's eyes widened and he looked at Edward and then back at Bella, "No shit! You're the hottie that Edward's been going on about?"

Edward groaned and palmed his face. Rosalie hit Emmett's arm, "Emmett!" Bella just blushed.

"What? Isn't she? I mean, I can't believe he stood her up is all!" Emmett continued.

Edward banged his head a bit against the wall. Bella blushed even more. Rosalie glared at Edward. "You stood her up?"

Alice had made her way to the kitchen and was trying to peer around everyone. Noticing the tense atmosphere she looked around and said, "Um, excuse me, but is dinner ready?"

No one said anything for a moment and then Bella finally broke the silence. "Rosalie, why don't you take that tray of appetizers out and Edward can open the wine…"

Rosalie was still glaring at Edward, but she nodded and shooed everyone out of the kitchen as she took a tray of assorted appetizers out of the fridge and headed out into the living room. Emmett following behind, whispering a loud, "Sorry, man," to Edward as he passed him.

Edward just sighed and looked around the kitchen. "Is there a wine opener?" he asked Bella as she continued to work on the salad.

Bella looked around a moment then she pointed to a drawer. "Might want to check in there."

Edward nodded and rummaged through the drawer before he came out with a simple corkscrew. "I'm sorry about that," he said with a sigh as he opened the bottle of wine.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Bella gave him a bit of a smile.

But, he was worried about it. He didn't need Emmett making the situation worse.

"Emmett, well, he sticks his foot in his mouth sometimes," Edward said as he finally got the bottle open.

Bella nodded.

"I really did enjoy the time we spent together last night, Bella," he added.

She sighed and finished with the salad. "Me too."

"I really would like to…" before Edward could finish what he was saying Jasper came into the kitchen.

"I wanted to see if you needed help taking the food out, Bella," Jasper said.

"Um, sure. Can you take the salad out to the table?" Bella said, holding out the bowl to him.

Jasper nodded. As he turned back towards the dining area he gave Edward a brief glare.

Edward just sighed. This was going to be a long evening.

)( )( )( )(

By the end of dinner everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves including Edward and Bella. The whole date fiasco was rehashed for the benefit of Rosalie and Jasper, who hadn't heard the story yet and though Jasper was still scowling in Edward's direction every now and then, most everyone agreed that the Bella and Edward's first "date" had gone well, potted palm and all. The guys didn't understand why the women kept referring to it as the love fern, but they just went with the flow.

"You know, the lasagna is great, hon," Emmett told Rosalie as he polished off another large portion.

"Uh, thank you." Rosalie responded, actually blushing as she glanced quickly at Bella and Alice.

Alice giggled and Bella just shrugged and started to clear off the table. Edward immediately stood up to help her.

Jasper nodded. "It is delicious, Rosalie. I would ask you to give Alice the recipe, but she wouldn't know her way around a kitchen with a GPS system."

"Hey," Alice laughed and stood up, helping to clear off the table.

"You'll definitely have to make more of this for me sometime, Rosie," Emmett said with a wink.

Rosalie had been sipping wine when he said that and she started to cough.

"Uh, it's her special lasagna, Emmett. She told me she only makes it once a year. Secret family recipe and all that," said Alice while glancing at Rosalie.

"Yes, her Grandma Angie's special recipe," added Bella, trying to keep a straight face.

Then all three women broke into giggles.

The men just looked confused.

"Did we miss something?" Jasper asked Emmett.

Emmett shrugged and looked to Edward who just seemed as perplexed.

Finally, Rosalie caved in and told them about the disaster with the fish. Bella had come to the rescue by calling her friend Angela who was a caterer in the DC area.

"Sorry, Emmett," Rosalie said, giving him a smile. "Honestly, I can't cook worth a damn."

Emmett smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand. "That's all right, Rosie." But, then he looked around the room. "So none of us can really cook, huh?"

"Speak for yourself," said Bella as she made her way to the kitchen carrying several plates.

Edward followed, carrying several plates himself. "So you can cook?"

Bella nodded and placed the dirty dishes in the sink. "Was kinda necessary growing up. My dad tried, but it always tasted rather bad."

Edward hesitated, "And, your mom?"

"She didn't like cooking much. She would try when I went to stay with her for visits, but we usually ended up eating out."

Edward nodded, figuring her parents were divorced.

Bella tidied up the kitchen a bit and then dried her hands on a kitchen towel. "Well, I hate to leave Rosalie with this mess, but I should be heading out."

Edward actually looked disappointed, but then he said, "Would it be all right if I walk you home? I wasn't going to stay long tonight."

Bella hesitated. "Are you sure? I don't want you to think you have to leave because I am."

Edward smiled and shook his head. "I plan to be up early tomorrow."

Bella seemed hesitant, but then she nodded. "All right."

)( )( )( )(

Emmett had given Edward a sly wink and Jasper had given him a scowl as they said their goodbyes to everyone. It wasn't long before he and Bella had donned their winter coats, scarves and gloves and were on their way.

At first they walked in comfortable silence and finally Bella asked, "So, what are you up to tomorrow that you're calling it an early night?"

"Oh, well, I usually get up and run on the treadmill on Sunday morning, watch some of the news shows, scan the papers, make notes on things I think we need to concentrate on for the week, that sort of thing." He shrugged.

"So, work," Bella said with a bit of a smile.

Edward nodded.

"I guess that's the way it is here in Washington," Bella said with a sigh.

Edward nodded and glanced her way. "Would…would you like to do something tomorrow?" He knew he was going out on a limb by asking. After all, she had said 'maybe' the last time that he had asked her out.

"What'd you have in mind?" she asked, thinking of Alice saying she had to make time.

Figuring he would get rejected he _didn't_ actually have anything in mind so he avoided anything definite. "A real date maybe? No Chinese. No potted plant."

Bella smiled. "I'd like that, but it'd have to be early being a Sunday and all."

Edward nodded and grinned brightly. "How about I pick you up for lunch and we can do something after that?"

"Sounds good," said Bella. "So…around noon then?"

He nodded. "I'll be at your place at noon."

Bella blushed and smiled back at him. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake giving him another chance.

They talked about more mundane things, including dinner and their friends. Both Edward and Bella admitted that neither of them had known Rosalie very long, but they both seemed to like her and they both agreed that she and Emmett seemed to make a good couple. Edward talked a bit about his friendship with Emmett and Bella told him about her friendship with Alice.

As they reached the front of her building they stopped at the front steps and Edward asked, "Should I walk you up?"

Bella shook her head and smiled. "No, thank you. I'll just…see you tomorrow. Right?"

Edward nodded and smiled. "I'll be here."

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, causing her to blush an even brighter shade of red. "Have a goodnight, Bella."

Bella nodded and made her way up the steps, glancing over her shoulder and smiling at him before she disappeared inside.

Edward watched her reached the safety of the inside of the building, smiled, sighed happily and made his way home.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning Bella was sitting on the couch watching one of the weekly political talk shows with Jasper and Alice, or at least they were _trying_ to watch. Jasper was complaining.

"I don't like it, Bella," he said with a frown as he sipped as his cup of coffee.

"_You_ don't have to like it," said Bella with a frown.

"He stood you up!" said Jasper.

"Yes, but he came as soon as he remembered and he brought her Chinese…and her love fern," said Alice as she curled up with a bowl of cereal near Jasper.

Jasper rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He works for Volturi."

"So?" Bella replied. "It's not like I'm dating Senator Aro Volturi."

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Ew, could you imagine?"

Bella chuckled along with Alice.

"It's not funny, you two!" Jasper frowned. "He's Senator Volturi's right hand man! I don't like that he knows about me and Alice now or that you're dating him, Bella. How do you know he's not dating you just to get information about Senator Cullen's plans?"

His words stung Bella and she stood up. "Thanks a lot, Jasper."

"Jasper…" Alice chided with a frown.

"Wait! I didn't mean it that way!" Jasper frowned.

Bella went to the kitchen, deposited her coffee cup in the sink and headed towards her room.

Jasper continued, "Bella, come on! I really didn't…"

She didn't hear the rest of what he said as she closed the door to the room. After a moment she could hear that he and Alice were having a heated discussion. Not wanting to hear it she slipped on her earbuds and listened to a mix of some of her more recent favorites.

As Civil Twilight filtered into her ears she tried to forget what Jasper had said. To say that it stung would be an understatement. She flipped through her closet and tried to decide what to wear on her date with Edward, though now she was beginning to doubt herself and wonder if she shouldn't cancel.

Bella had never had the most extraordinary dating life. She hadn't dated in high school, having gone to her senior prom with one of her guy friends that was in several of her AP courses. She had dated in college, but even then her dating life had been somewhat spotty. Finally, she had met Jack her senior year. He was dashingly handsome and intelligent. His aspirations to go into international business fit in right with his degree in international affairs. Jack had swept her right off her feet. He was her first for lots of things. Her first love. The first man she had slept with. She had thought they would get married one day and start a family. He had even said he would wait for her when she got accepted to law school in California.

That hadn't last long and at the end of her first semester she had traveled back to Arizona to find out that he had started dating Jackie, a graduate student pursuing a degree in French literature. When she saw him on her first day back and he introduced her to Jackie as an old friend, she knew that things were over between them.

He'd never even taken the time to explain.

It had been a big blow to her self-esteem and though she had dated a couple of guys since then, she concentrated on her studies and never let it go beyond a few dates.

Now, here she was, about to go out with Edward Masen, a man who had made several 'Most Eligible Bachelors' lists for as long as she could remember. He was smart, nice, and obviously sexy. What was he doing going out with her?

"What the fuck am _I_ doing?" Bella asked herself as she peered in her closet.

She jumped a bit as Alice tugged out one of her earbuds. "Well, I hope you're starting to get ready for your date," said Alice with a soft smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Just wanted to help you pick out something to wear."

Bella sighed, "I'm thinking of calling to cancel."

"You'll do no such thing," said Alice as she started to go through Bella's clothes. "Don't pay any attention to Jasper. I swear that man has an IQ higher than most people's credit scores, but he's a stupid as a rock when it comes to a lot of stuff."

Bella looked to the door as she moved to set her iPod on her dresser.

Noticing the look Alice said, "He's gone."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble between the two of you," said Bella with a sigh.

"Oh, pish posh, _he _was the one that caused the trouble. What does it matter that Edward works for Senator Volturi or that he knows about the two of us seeing each other? I'm tired of having to sneak around anyway and if he thinks that he can keep hiding our relationship forever, well, let me tell you, he's got another thing coming," huffed Alice.

Bella smiled a bit, but it was obvious that she was still mulling over what Jasper had said.

Alice sighed. "Listen, Bella, don't think about the politics in all this. I know that's like kinda your job now, but Edward seems like a nice guy and he definitely seems interested in you, not my father or what goes on in my father's office."

Bella still didn't seem convinced and Alice sighed and asked, "Look, has he ever asked about my father or anything going on about work?"

"Well, no…" Bella conceded, but before she could say more, Alice continued, "And, did he not ask you out _before_ he knew who you worked for?"

"Well, yes…" Bella said and again Alice continued, "Then that's all you need to know for now. I'll be the first one to tell you to kick him to the curb if it seems like more than just romantic interest on his part."

Bella sighed and nodded, watching as Alice threw a black sweater and a pair of skinny jeans in Bella's directions. "Wear that with the boots you were going to wear last night over the jeans. Wear your hair loose."

Bella nodded and watched as Alice started to go through her lingerie drawer. "What are you doing?"

She just answered Bella by tossing a black lace bra and matching panties in her direction. "Lingerie is important."

"I don't plan to show it to him, Alice."

Alice giggled and waggled her brows. "Not yet. Seriously though, nice lingerie helps a woman feel…sexier. That's never a bad thing."

Bella looked doubtful, but nodded.

Alice smiled at hugged her. "Don't worry. I have a feeling that things are going to work out great!"

)( )( )( )(

Edward was actually nervous. He really didn't want to screw things up this time so he left his place early so he could arrive at Bella's place with plenty of time to spare.

He was actually waiting in the foyer of her building with thirty minutes to spare and it was only after fifteen minutes when one of the residents kept peeking out of their apartment at him that he made his way upstairs and knocked on her door.

Alice answered. "Well, you're early this time. Very good sign."

She left the door open so he could come in and walked in after her, closing the door behind him. "Uh, I didn't realize that you were Bella's roommate."

Alice chuckled. "Well, I am." She shrugged and flipped on the television. "Bella will be right out."

Edward nodded and stood there awkwardly by the door.

Alice arched a brow and asked, "You want to have a seat?"

Nodding, Edward made his way to the living room and sat on the very edge of seat, back straight as a rod.

Watching him Alice couldn't help but giggle. "You can relax, you know?"

Edward managed a bit of a smile, but looked around nervously. So far he wasn't sure that Bella's friends really cared for him. Jasper had been scowling at him throughout dinner the previous evening. Even Rosalie had glared at him when she'd found out he'd stood Bella up. Yet, Alice seemed friendly enough so far.

"So what are your plans for today?" Alice asked as she channel surfed.

"Well, uh...," before he could answer Bella came out and smiled. He immediately jumped up and looked at her. She looked beautiful.

"Hello, Edward," Bella said with a smile.

"Hi, Bella." He smiled and went up and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful," he whispered, causing her to blush.

"Thank you," Bella whispered in response. "Um, ready to go?"

Edward nodded.

"Just let me get my coat," Bella said as she made her way to the coat closet by the front door.

Edward followed and then followed her out as Alice called out goodbye to both of them.

Outside he led her down the street to where his car was waiting.

"Thank you again for agreeing to go out with me," Edward said as he opened the car door for Bella.

She smiled at him. "I'm glad you were so persistent," she responded, though she still had her doubts. But, she was going to do what Alice advised and try to enjoy herself.

As she settled in the car she buckled up and looked at it. A Mercedes, though she had no idea what kind she could tell it was an expensive car. Then again, could she expect anything else from Edward Masen.

Chastising herself she tried to remember not to think about him that way. He was just Edward, a nice, intelligent, extremely gorgeous, absolutely sexy hunk of a man.

Edward climbed into the car and smiled at her as he started the engine. "So what are you in the mood to eat?"

"Oh, well…," Bella had no idea what to say. "Um, whatever you decide is fine."

"Chinese?" he asked, his tone teasing.

She laughed. "Well, anything but Chinese."

He grinned at her. "I know a nice little restaurant we can go to. Great food, out of the way, quiet. They have a variety of foods on the menu."

"That sounds great," Bella replied.

He nodded and carefully pulled out of his parking spot.

* * *

**A/N: ****Sorry for not posting the last couple of days, but I've been ill and I'm still not 100% better.**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Thank you for the leaving reviews and for recommending this story to your friends! Please continue to do both!**


	15. Chapter 15

The restaurant that Edward had chosen was a small place with only a dozen or so tables and it had the kind of laid back atmosphere that was welcoming. True to his word, the cuisine did vary from Italian to French, but everything on the menu looked great.

At first, the conversation seemed a bit stilted, but after a while they both found it easier to talk with each other.

"So you're originally from Arizona?" Edward asked between bites of food.

Bella shook her head. "No, but Arizona is home. I actually was born in a small town in Washington State. My parents moved because mom really didn't like small town life. I don't even remember the town really and I've only visited it once with my dad."

Edward nodded.

"So you don't consider California home?" Edward asked before taking another bite of his food.

Bella couldn't help it after Jasper's warning and she couldn't help but wonder if Edward's line of questioning was leading to other questions to find chinks in Senator Cullen's armor.

Sensing her hesitation Edward realized something and he smiled a bit. Lifting his napkin off of his lip he wiped at his mouth before setting it down again.

"Listen, Bella," he sighed, "I know, well, that this isn't easy because of who we work for, but honestly, I'm not interested in using you to find out more about what's going on at your job. I'm interested in you. Just you. I just…want to know more about you, that's all. You don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable with."

She sighed and managed a bit of a smile. "I'm sorry, Edward. This whole world of politics is just new to me and I…I feel like I've suddenly been thrust into a three ring circus and if I do or say the wrong thing I'm going to find myself in the lion's den or up on the tight rope without a net to catch me."

Edward smiled. "That's a very apt description. The three rings could be the three branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative. Separated, but all under the big tent, all vying for attention at different times in the show, but yet all dependent on each other to be successful."

Bella smiled as he took her metaphor to another level.

"But," he continued, did you ever think that even all the players in the circus have a life outside the tent? The clowns' make-up comes off, the lion tamer lets go of his whip, the beautiful lady on the tight rope puts down her balance bar and comes down to stand on steady ground. So, if you're the lady on the tight rope, then tell me what's going on when you're not doing the balancing act for work."

Bella chuckled. "Oh, I'd be horrible on the tight rope. I have absolutely no balance."

"Really?" Edward asked, surprised, always having thought of her as graceful. "That's too bad. I was already picturing you wearing one of those dazzling, skimpy outfits," he joked, though now that he said it, that's what he was actually doing.

Bella blushed and laughed. "And, what role would you play in the circus?"

He grinned. "That's obvious of course. I'd be the lion's tamer so I could rescue you if you happened to wander into the lion's den."

Bella couldn't help but giggle.

"Too cheesy?" he asked.

"A bit," Bella replied, "but still very sweet."

Conversation became easier after that and they both talked about the places they had lived, Bella describing her life growing up in sunny Arizona and Edward talking about growing up in Chicago and D.C.

)( )( )( )(

After they finished their meal, Edward took care of the check and asked Bella if she didn't mind skipping dessert so they could get dessert elsewhere.

Bella agreed and after they left the restaurant instead of walking back to his car he headed down the snow-lined sidewalk in the opposite direction from where they had parked. After a minute, Bella took her gloves out of her coat pocket and slipped them on.

"Cold?" Edward asked.

Bella nodded and smiled. "Sorry, still not used to it. I grew up in the heat. Give me hundred degree temperatures any day."

Edward reached out, took her hand in his and tucked it in the crook of his elbow. "Sorry. We don't have far to go. I'll try my best to keep you warm."

Bella blushed and couldn't help the warm feeling that spread in her chest at his words as she leaned a bit against him.

"So you don't like the snow?" Edward asked.

Bella smiled. "Oh, I guess it's not so bad. It's still all kind of new to me."

"Oh? Never took skiing trips or anything like that?" Edward asked, smiling at the way it felt to have her holding onto his arm as they walked along.

She laughed. "No, wasn't exactly the kind of vacation a cop and a kindergarten teacher could afford. Actually, I'd never really seen more than a puddle of snow before I moved here."

"Really?" Edward asked incredulously. After she nodded in response he continued, "So, no snowball fights, no snow forts, nothing like that."

She chuckled. "Nope. My life as a kid was running through sprinklers in the yard, even in what was supposed be fall."

Edward laughed. "That's just so…odd to be after growing up in Chicago and here where snow is a way of life in the winter. Well, then I'm glad I planned what I did."

Before Bella could ask what he meant, they turned the corner of the street they were walking on and came into view of a park. The place was beautiful with the trees and plants covered in snow and ice and there in the center of the park was an ice rink.

"I take it you've never been ice skating?" Edward asked as they headed in the direction of the rink.

Bella's eyes just widened in response to his question and she shook her head.

Edward grinned and headed in the direction of the booth where they could rent some skates. The teenage boy behind the counter got the size that Edward requested for himself then looked to Bella. She told him her shoe size and stood there, chewing on her lip nervously.

After collecting their skates Edward took them over to a bench where they could sit and change out their shoes. "You all right?" he asked, noticing Bella's nervous expression.

"Uh, Edward…I meant it when I said I don't have any balance," she replied, looking at the skates in her hands like they were death traps. How did one stand on the thin blades anyhow?

"Hmm…I have yet to see that for myself," he said with a smile and a wink.

Bella's brows drew together, thinking about the one time she had asked her ex to take her ice skating. "I once asked someone I knew to take me ice skating. Their reply was, 'Sweetie, you fall on level concrete, why would I put you on ice?'"

Edward couldn't help but laugh at that and at hearing his unrestrained laughter, Bella couldn't help but chuckle herself.

He grinned at her and reached out he squeezed her hand a bit. "Don't worry, Bella. If you fall I'll catch you."

Bella's heart melted at his smile and the sincerity of his words. She unzipped her boots in order to put on the skates.

"Allow me," said Edward and moving to kneel in front of her he helped her to put on the skates, lacing them up for her.

Once they were on the ice Edward began to see exactly what Bella meant when she said he didn't have any balance and more than once they both ended up on the ground, usually with Edward taking the brunt of the fall as Bella landed on top of him.

Not that he minded.

Not in the least.

After their fourth fall where he managed to twist their bodies yet again so Bella landed on him he had the wind knocked out of him, but his shoulders still moved in silent laughter.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Bella said as she looked down at Edward. "Are you all right? I knew this was a bad idea."

Edward half coughed, half laughed. After a moment he finally managed to get out, "No, I'm all right. You okay?"

"Yes, well, you keep catching me," Bella said with a blush.

Edward kept his arms around her and made no move to get up. "I said I would."

Bella gave him a soft smile in response to his words and at that moment he couldn't help himself as he lifted his head and brushed his lips softly against hers, his pulse starting to race from the gentle contact.

Bella stiffened a moment and then she kissed him back softly, feeling a thrill run to her as her own heart started to beat faster.

Two teens skating in the rink called out for them to get a room and they pulled apart, Edward giving her that famous crooked smile as Bella blushed and smiled shyly back.

After that they managed to stand again and Edward winced a bit.

"Did I hurt you?" Bella asked with concern.

Edward shook his head and grinned. "No, I'm fine," he replied as he rubbed his backside a bit. "Though I have to admit my posterior end hasn't felt like this since I got spanked for trying to skateboard in the rotunda at the Capitol when I was eight."

"You did what?" Bella asked with a laugh.

"Well, the floor looked so smooth!" Edward laughed. "My father and the Capitol guard weren't particularly amused though."

She laughed some more as they made their way out of the rink and back the bench where their shoes were waiting.

Edward helped her to sit and they both started to remove their skates.

"It must have been fascinating growing up around all that," Bella said.

Edward shrugged. "I never thought of it as fascinating. It was just my life. I didn't know any different."

Bella nodded, hoping she hadn't broached a bad subject for him.

"I was always more fascinated by the lives of kids that did ordinary stuff. I mean, we had our house in Chicago and our home here, but I wanted to do things like, I don't know, ride a bus to school or be able to walk over to the neighbor's door and ask if the kid that lived there could come out and play," Edward said as he pulled off his skates and slipped on his shoes again.

"That must have been hard," Bella replied, noticing the sadness in his tone. "Though the bus is not all it's cut out to be…mine always smelled like sweaty gym socks. Not the best thing in the Arizona heat." She wrinkled her nose, making him laugh.

Edward smiled. "I can't complain though. My parents were attentive and raised me well. I was exposed to a lot of things that other kids would find fascinating and though I was taught to never take things for granted, a lot of the stuff that goes on here in D.C. became, well, commonplace."

Bella nodded and smiled as she zipped up her boots. "I'm still finding it all so…mesmerizing. The other night was my first night at the Kennedy Center and I still haven't had a chance to see so much…the museums, the monuments…"

"I'll have to show you sometime then," Edward said with a grin.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Bella, "I'm sure it's all boring for you at this point anyway."

"It wouldn't be boring, Bella," he said as he stood up and held his hand out to her. "It wouldn't be boring because I'd be doing it with you."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Some citrus ahead..**

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* * *

**

Bella was packing up at the end of the day, putting some files on her desk into a drawer when she heard Jasper's voice.

"Leaving early?" he asked his voice a bit tight.

She sighed and continued to get ready to go. "It's not early, Jasper. It's seven o' clock on a Friday. Most people have already left for the day."

Things had been strained between them ever since her first date with Edward over two weeks ago. She'd gone out with Edward a couple of times since then on real dates and they'd managed to have lunch together a couple of times as well. To say that Jasper was unhappy about this would have been an understatement.

"Got plans?" he asked, crossing his arms as he stood across her desk from her.

She sighed as she slipped a couple of notebooks and files into her bag. "As a matter of fact I do."

"With him?" Jasper asked, now scowling.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes." She moved to slip on her coat.

"Bella…" He sighed, shook his head and ran his hand over his face.

Bella frowned and picked up her bag. "Drop it."

"Are you bringing him to dinner tomorrow night?" Before Bella could even answer his question he continued with a frown, "Does the Senator know or are you planning to just surprise him?"

"Surprise me with what?" Carlisle asked as he appeared at the open office door behind Jasper. Carlisle was a distinguished, handsome looking older gentleman, but it wasn't only his demeanor and good looks that drew people in, it was his charming kind smile and the warmth in his blue eyes.

Bella remembered the first time that she met him. She had been nervous when she had been asked to go back into the Senator's office. Although she was volunteering for his Senatorial campaign, for all intents and purposes, she was really there for a job interview. Jasper had told her not to worry, but of course she had been nervous. Her nerves had immediately dissipated when she walked into the Senator's office and found him eating a burger, pickles dribbling down the front of his shirt, staining his tie. Their interview had consisted of talking about political views and her experience while sharing his fries, which he insisted he couldn't finish.

"Well?" Carlisle prompted, looking from Bella to Jasper.

"We were just discussing dinner at your home tomorrow night, sir," Jasper said glancing at Bella.

"Oh, yes," Carlisle chuckled. "Esme is in a tizzy about that one. I hope you two aren't planning on canceling. She'll make _my_ life difficult if you do and blame me for working you two too much. And, I _know_ Alice will be disappointed if you don't show up, Jasper."

"I'll be there, sir," Jasper said, glancing at Bella.

"And, Alice tells me that you might be bringing a friend, Bella. Edward Masen if I'm not mistaken?" Carlisle said, glancing at Jasper before giving Bella a knowing smile. No one could accuse Senator Cullen of not being a sharp, perceptive man.

Bella blushed. "He's going to try to make it, Senator."

"Good!" Carlisle said with a smile. "I knew him when he was a boy and was good friends with his father. Both of you enjoy your evenings and I'll see you tomorrow for dinner." With that he waved and walked off again.

Jasper frowned, "We still have that strategizing meeting early tomorrow to go over the plan for the Senator's intentions regarding…"

"I know," said Bella interrupting him, sounding frustrated. "I'm doing my job, Jasper," she said more softly.

Jasper nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then." With that he turned to go.

Bella sighed as she watched him leave. Things had gotten so difficult between her and Jasper and it was even causing problems between him and Alice. She loved Alice and knew she was lucky to have her as a friend, she needed her support, but she also didn't want to cause problems for her. Jasper just didn't seem to get it and she was hoping that if things went well at dinner with the Cullens tomorrow night that he'd loosen up a bit. If Edward ended up attending, that is.

Making her way out of her office she locked the door behind her and made her way towards the spot where she'd agreed to meet Edward. He was waiting there, glancing at his watch, not noticing her walking his way. As she walked towards him she couldn't help but admire the way he looked in his dark navy trench coat and Burberry scarf. When he lifted his face and grinned at her she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

He went up to her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then he said, "I was afraid you were going to have to cancel."

She shook her head and smiled. "Just taking care of some last minute things then Jasper stopped by."

She shrugged, but Edward could tell that something was bothering her. He didn't ask though since he knew it had to do with work and very definite lines had been drawn in regards to that. Edward just smiled, and reached out to squeeze her hand. "You ready to go?"

She nodded. "Sure. Where are we going for dinner?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind eating at my place? I thought we could just cook, hangout…" he let his voice trail off as he watched her take in his suggestion.

"Do you have groceries?" she asked dubiously.

He laughed and nodded. "Yes, actually. Fully stocked, though I thought we might make something simple like pasta and salad."

Bella smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me." In truth, she was a bit nervous. She had never been to Edward's place before, but she was honored by the invitation, knowing that he was a very private person.

As they walked to the parking area where his car was she brought up the dinner at the Cullens. "Have you given thought to dinner at the Cullens' tomorrow night?"

He gave a bit of a smile and nodded, not saying anything.

Bella reached out and rested her hand lightly on his arm. "I don't mean to be pushy. I should just let Mrs. Cullen know if you're not going to be able to make it."

"I'd…I'd love to accompany you, Bellla," Edward said.

Sensing a 'but' in there, she sighed. "But, you don't think it's a good idea," she stated.

He chuckled and reached out to take her hand, squeezing it a bit. "No, no but. Just that. I'd love to accompany you."

She grinned brightly and squeezed his hand back.

)( )( )( )(

Bella was sitting on a stool that Edward had moved to the kitchen island in his place as Edward moved around the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. Watching him, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of him in his dress shirt with the top buttons open and the sleeves rolled back. She loved watching the movement of his muscles under the skin of his forearms as he washed the dishes. He had insisted she not help.

"That was delicious," Bella said as she took another sip of her wine.

Edward laughed. "You sound surprised."

She laughed as well. "Well, it's my experience that most bachelors cannot cook." Feeling odd about letting him do all the work, she slipped off the stool and went to stand next to him. She looked at what he was doing a moment then she reached for a towel and started to dry the dishes he was done with.

He didn't protest. He liked having her close. Shrugging, he smiled. "Something I learned, but don't get to do often. My mother was an excellent cook and I used to love helping her in the kitchen when I got the chance."

Bella nodded. "You'll definitely have to let me know what you did to that garlic bread. I can't ever get mine that cheesy _and_ crusty."

"Oh, I can't tell you that. That's an old family secret." He chuckled.

She smiled at him and finished drying the dishes.

He reached for another towel, drying off his hands before he moved around and started to put the dishes away.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" she asked as she helped him to put away the last of the utensils in the drawer where she'd seen him take them from earlier.

He nodded. "Unfortunately, I have a meeting with the Senator, Emmett, and a few others in the early afternoon. You?"

She nodded. "I have a meeting late tomorrow morning."

That was as in-depth as their conversation in regards to their professional lives went and both seemed fine with it, never delving for more information.

When she turned away from the drawer back towards the rest of the kitchen, she was startled to find Edward standing close in front of her. She laughed a bit and leaned back against the counter.

Smiling at her he said, "Thank you for helping me with the dishes."

She was already feeling breathless at having him so close so her voice sounded a bit husky as she replied, "Thank you for making dinner."

His hands came to rest on her waist. "You helped."

"Not much," she said in response as she felt her pulse quicken at his touch as one of her hands rested on his chest, where she could feel his own heart beating rapidly.

Edward had been dying to hold her close and kiss her all night, but he had refrained from doing so, worrying that she would think that that was the only reason he had invited her over. It had gotten even more difficult as the evening had progressed and they had both loosened up.

He loved the way she looked in her tight pencil skirt, walking around in her stocking clad feet in his apartment as they made dinner together. Working side by side with her had made him feel a bit of a thrill he had never felt before. He had touched her every opportunity he had, brushing his hand against hers as he reached for something, or letting his fingers caress the back of her hand as he reached out to hand her something.

Now, that his touch was purposeful as his hands went from her waist, slipping to the small of her back even as he leaned down to brush his lips against her own. As his arms moved further around her, pulling her closer and they kissed, she melted against him.

They had kissed before, of course, their first kiss being the soft, gentle, but thrilling kiss at the ice rink at the park. He'd kissed her goodnight after that first date in front of her building and had kissed at the end of their other dates, and while those kisses had all been exciting in their own way, this kiss was quickly becoming something different.

The first brush of their lips quickly became insistent tugging, his lips grasping at her own with her own responding in kind as his arms tightened around her waist and her own arms went around his neck.

As he lifted her up off her feet, her lips parted in a gasp against his and he took this as an opportunity to let his tongue caress her own, wanting to taste her. Both of them moaned in unison at the contact as their tongues moved slowly against one another's even as their hands started to wander.

Her hands moved up the nape of his neck and into his hair as her fingers moved through the lush locks. His own hands caressed slowly up her back and down again till he had them on her rear. Not breaking the kiss he lifted her up, setting her on the counter.

He broke the kiss then as his lips moved her hers, trailing along her jaw and down her neck, causing her to rest her head back against the cabinets behind her, even as she tried to draw him even closer, wrapping a leg around his waist. He took this as encouragement and moved between her legs, causing her form fitting skirt to slid high up her thighs as she made room to accommodate him.

His lips moved back to hers as his hand moved to the leg that remained wrapped around his waist, caressing up her leg as he felt the heat of her skin through the silk of her stockings. As his hand traveled further up her thigh he broke the kissed and hissed out, "Christ!" as his fingers encountered the lace elastic to her thigh highs. He hadn't expected that, thinking she was wearing pantyhose. This was much sexier.

Bella moaned at the feel of his fingers on her as they explored the contrast between the lace of her stocking and the soft skin of her upper thigh.

She gasped and looked at him breathlessly as his other hand moved to her hip, pulling her closer to the edge of the counter even as he moved his hips to press his very evident erection against her core. They stayed like that a moment, both their mouths parted with heavy breaths as their eyes met, glistening with passion.

He rubbed against her a bit, causing them both to moan at the friction and she cursed as she squirmed uncomfortably against him, wanting more. "Fuck."

Smiling he kissed her again as the hand that had been on her thigh traveled up her side to her breast. He cupped it through her blouse, feeling her nipple tighten under the fabric of her top and bra as he ran his thumb over the peak, making her whimper into his mouth.

He groaned in response and moved both hands to start to work on her buttons when he heard his home phone ringing. At first he tried to ignore it, but in the back of his mind the still rational part of him remembered that only important calls came into his landline, and even then it usually meant they had tried to reach him on his Blackberry first.

Breaking the kiss it was his turn to cuss and he whispered, "Fuck," though he did so in a much different tone than Bella had moments ago.

Placing one last quick kiss on her lips he sighed, giving her an apologetic look and went to answer one of the cordless phones resting on the nearby kitchen counter.

"Hello," he said, trying to keep the exasperated tone out of his voice, but not succeeding.

He frowned as someone spoke on the other line. "Wait…slow down. What?" His expression became graver as he continued to listen.

Bella worried her lower lip between her teeth a bit as she watched him and carefully slid off the counter, tugging down her skirt and trying to straighten her clothes.

"Fuck," Edward hissed and ran his hand through his hair even as he closed his eyes angrily. "NO! No, you wait right there. I'll be over as soon as I can. You don't do _anything_ you understand me? I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Twenty tops. Don't call anyone else."

Turning the phone off he looked at it a moment, his jaw tight, showing that he was stressed, angry, or both. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I'm going to have to cut our evening short."

Bella nodded, "Of course."

He was already moving towards the living room and she moved quickly behind him, slipping on her shoes. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"NO!" he exclaimed, causing her to jump. He took a deep breath and sighed, "No, thank you. Sorry."

She nodded and watched as he put on his own shoes, barely taking the time to tie them as she slipped on her coat and gathered her bag. He was tugging on his own coat as they walked to the door.

"I really am sorry about this, Bella. I'll make it up to you, I swear," he said, sounding genuinely apologetic as they made their way down the stairs to the front of his building.

He gave her a quick but passionate kiss as they reached the sidewalk. "I'll call you tomorrow." And, with that he turned and ran to his car, not even taking the time to warm it up like he always did. He simply turned on the engine and sped off, leaving Bella standing there, stunned. She wondered what the call could have been about that would frazzle him so much. He'd even forgotten that he was her ride home…


	17. Chapter 17

Edward sped through the streets of D.C. calling Emmett on from his Blackberry as he drove. When Emmett didn't pick up right away he started to curse. Hanging up he dialed a second time and this time Emmett picked up after two rings.

"Edward, what's going on?" Emmett sounded breathless.

Edward didn't even want to think about why he sounded like that and he clipped out. "It's Alec. I don't know what's going on but he's been in some sort of accident and he couldn't get a hold of his father."

Alec Volturi, Senator Aro Volturi's son, was only seventeen. Edward had taken to the boy since he had started working for the Senator four years ago. He saw a lot of himself in the kid. Like Edward he had grown up in the world of politics. He was a good kid, unfortunately, unlike the Masens, the Volturi tended to neglect their son. They'd shipped him off to attend expensive prep schools from a young age and though the boy visited on holidays and was brought on the campaign trail when he father deemed it beneficial and appropriate, for the most part he was an afterthought.

Edward felt that his life could have easily turned out the same way if his parents had been anything like Aro and his wife. In fact, his own father had been brought up in a similar fashion, raised by servants while his grandparents focused on the political and social standing of the Masen family. Luckily, Edward's mother, Elizabeth, had been a down to earth woman who had grown up in a middle class family. She had different family values and had changed Edward's father from the moment they met as undergraduates at Northwestern University. Though Elizabeth had never imagined that she would marry into such a prestigious family, she didn't let it change who she was and his father always claimed that her down-to-earth attitude had been what had helped him change his life for the better as well as win his Senatorial seat.

No, Alec was not that lucky. Usually, when he wasn't in school he worked quietly alongside his father's staff, trying to be helpful. Edward had taken him out for lunch a couple of times and Alec had even joined him and Emmett at a Patriot's game once, but the kid was quiet and shy. When Senator Volturi had told him to stay out of the office staff's way, Alec had stopped coming around, though he and Edward still talked now and then over the phone, more often than not it was when Alec was trying to reach his father and couldn't.

Like now.

When Edward had picked up the phone in his apartment Alec had barely been able to speak through his sobbing, his words slurred. He'd sounded so young and frightened. Somehow, he managed to relay to Edward that he had been in an accident, hit a tree or something. Alec told Edward he needed his dad, but couldn't reach him and that he was about to call the cops.

Edward wasn't thinking about Aro's political career when he told Alec not to call the cops and was thinking more about the kid. He didn't want him to get into deep shit because of a stupid mistake. And, so he'd told Alec to hold on and had had to leave Bella, though he hated to do so. He just hoped she understood.

"Shit!" Emmett exclaimed and rustling could be heard in the background along with the creaking of a springs and a woman's muffled voice. "Where?"

Edward frowned, glad that Emmett was being a bit discreet since Rosalie seemed to be there with him. He told Emmett the same directions Alec had given him and told him to hurry before hanging up.

Then he tried to call Senator Volturi. He hadn't considered calling the Senator first because he was pretty sure that the man wouldn't answer. Though as Aro's chief-of-staff he _was_ more likely to get through to him than Alec was—as screwed up as that was—the Senator hardly ever answered his phone on a Friday night. After trying both the Senator's cell and home phone and getting sent to voice mail both times, leaving messages telling the Senator to call him back, he cursed and dialed Alec's cell phone number.

The kid picked up after a couple of rings, not even saying hello and just sobbing into the phone.

"Alec? It's Edward. Are you all right?" _Christ_, he thought, _why didn't I ask the boy that in the first place?_

Alec just sobbed in response and Edward began to panic. "Alec? Are you hurt?"

"N…nooo," Alec finally managed to respond through his sobbing.

"I'm almost there. I can't be more than fifteen minutes away. Emmett is on his way too." Edward said.

Edward stifled a sigh, not wanting Alec to think that he was annoyed. He _was_ annoyed, but his annoyance was for the Senator, not the poor kid sobbing into his ear. "Do you want me to stay with you on the phone till I get there?"

"P…please?" Alec said, and Edward couldn't help but smile a bit. The kid was more polite than his father was, even at a moment like this.

"Sure," Edward replied.

)( )( )( )(

Of all the things he could think of to talk to the kid while he was driving he talked about Bella. Of course, she was still on his mind, and if it wasn't for the fact that they were in the middle of a very fucked up situation he might still be holding her.

Alec didn't say much as Edward talked, but at least he stopped sobbing into the phone.

He'd even told Alec about the potted palm trying to keep the kid's mind off of things.

That might not have been enough to get a laugh from the boy, but he did snort.

Once he reached the accident site he saw Alec's small BMW off the side of the road, smashed against the tree. If Edward hadn't been talking to Alec, he might have thought someone was seriously injured in an accident like that.

Pulling over to the side of the road he rushed out and found Alec sitting slumped against the opposite side of the tree trunk that his car was wrapped around, and though Edward had hung up with him moments before he was still shaking and sitting there with the cell phone to his ear.

Crouching down in front of him Edward frowned. "Alec, man, you all right?"

Alec looked up then and Edward cursed as he realized that the kid had a gash in his forehead. Taking off his scarf he used it to dab at the blood and he studied Alec's face as the kid finally looked at him.

"Hey, man," Alec said, his words slurred.

Edward studied his eyes and frowned. "What are you on, Alec?"

Alec sighed and leaned his head back against the tree trunk as he closed his eyes. "Nothing."

Edward didn't believe him judging by the way that Alec's pupils looked, but he didn't argue and he shook his head. Looking up he realized another car was pulling up and he sighed in relief noticing it was Emmett.

Emmett rushed over. "He all right?"

"He's got a gash on his head, don't know how bad it is," Edward replied as he moved out of the way to let Emmett check the boy out. Emmett had some medic training from his time in the SEALs.

Emmett checked under the scarf and frowned. "Edward, can you grab a flashlight. If you don't got one there's one in the trunk of my car."

Edward nodded and moved through the snow to his own car, digging a flashlight out of the back. Coming back he held the light for Emmett as he checked Alec out.

"Head wounds bleed like a bitch, but I don't think he'll need stitches," Emmett frowned. "You hurt anywhere else, kid?"

Alec shook his head but Emmett took the light and checked the rest of him anyway. "Well, the airbags did a number on your hands, but that's not too bad. You're going to freeze your fucking ass off though."

Emmett handed the light back to Edward and hauled Alec to his feet. "C'mon, kid. Let's get you out of here." Wrapping Alec's arm around his neck, the kid slumped a bit against him and Emmett looked to Edward as if to ask, 'What next?'

Edward ran his hand tiredly over his face and took off his coat, placing it around Alec's shoulders, though the kid cried silently and didn't seem to notice.

"Put him in my car. I'll take him over to my place in a bit," Edward said.

Emmett nodded and walked off, taking Alec with him.

Turning back to the car, Edward sighed. This could be taken care of silently and he knew that the Senator would prefer it that way, but he really was more concerned about the kid.

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the fact that he was getting cold out in the snow without a coat on. Emmett came back and looked at the car.

"What now?" he asked.

Edward frowned. "Have the car towed by that company that the Senator asked us to use when Mrs. Volturi had her little fender bender." The woman had hit a curb and ruined the axel of her car while driving drunk and that had been kept very hushed up.

Emmett frowned and nodded. "All right, Chief."

Edward looked to the car and stuck his pants in the pockets of his trousers. "The kid going to be all right?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, he's flying as high as a kite right now, though he keeps saying he didn't take anything. He's not feeling pain, just scared shitless." Emmett sighed. "He's going to be fine though. When you get him to your place make him shower and if you have any ointment for minor burns put it on his hands."

Edward nodded. "Thanks for coming so quickly. The Senator was…unreachable."

Emmett snorted. "I figured as much. Though I'm going to have to find a way to make it up to Rosie. We were in the middle of some fine lov…"

"Don't say it," said Edward with a frown, remembering exactly what he and Bella had been in the middle of when the call came through.

Emmett chuckled a bit. "Just saying. Get the kid to your place. He's probably better off there then his own."

Edward nodded, squeezed Emmett's shoulder and turned to go.

* * *

**A/N: First, let me say that the reviews for the last chapter took me by surprise. I expected people to comment on Jasper's behavior…nothing…Carlisle's first appearance…zilch…the citrus…nada (maybe I'm not that good at writing lemons *LOL*)…the mystery call…well, there were a few comments there. Most of you were more upset at Edward for forgetting to give Bella a ride. I think this chapter showed he had a good reason. Bella is a forgiving person as well…and she's a grown woman. If the same thing happened to me I'd just call a cab or a friend.**

**That being said, I hope you liked this installment and I'd really appreciate your reviews.**

**Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and recommending this story!**


	18. Chapter 18

Bella ended up taking a cab home after Edward left. She was all by herself when she got home, Alice having gone out with Jasper somewhere. She changed into some more comfortable clothes and set out some of her work on the dining room table, but she couldn't concentrate and kept wondering if Edward was all right.

She knew by the way that he'd run off that it had to be important and though she knew she should be upset that he'd forgotten that he was her ride home, she wasn't. It was actually something that was quite commonplace for her growing up. Being a cop, and more specifically a detective, her father had run out on supper or other occasions more than once. She remembered once when he hadn't shown up to pick her up from dance practice when she was about six years old. Her dance teacher had finally been able to get a hold of her mother who was at parent-teacher night at her school and her mother had been able to get a kindly old neighbor to pick her up. She'd refused to go back to dance class after that. Though her parents loved her, she'd learned to become independent from a very young age due to her father's profession and her mother's free-spirited personality.

Honestly, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Finally getting into the groove of things, she worked a bit more on the speech that Senator Cullen wanted for an upcoming event in which he was announcing his candidacy for the party's ticket for president. She was going over the outline for the speech again, looking at the topics that the Senator and Jasper wanted her to cover when she heard her phone ring.

Glancing at the caller ID she immediately answered the phone when she saw it was Edward. "Hello?"

"Bella, I'm so glad I didn't wake you. I know it's late," Edward said, sounding tired.

Bella frowned a bit, hearing the tension in his voice. "No, I was just working on some things I brought home with me from the office. Edward, are you all right?"

Edward sighed. "No, it seems I owe you another apology."

"Oh?" She knew exactly what he was apologizing for, but it didn't hurt to put him on the spot.

"I was supposed to have given you a ride home," he replied. _I was hoping to do so in the morning_, he thought. "I really am sorry about that, but I had to help a friend out."

"Is your friend all right?" she asked, glad that it hadn't been work that had called him away like that.

Edward sighed tiredly. "I hope so."

At the sigh, her mind wandered and she pictured him running his hand through his unruly hair, remembering how soft it had been to touch and run her fingers through. She remembered the way his fingers had felt touching her bare skin.

His voice interrupted her thoughts, "Bella? Should I take that as a yes?"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, glad he couldn't see her blushing.

He chuckled a bit. "Was just asking if I should go see if the Chinese place has another potted palm they're willing to sell me?"

The smile was evident in her voice as she spoke, "Is that your way of saying you're sorry and you'll make it up to me?"

"Yes," Edward replied honestly.

"Still going with me tomorrow the Senator's house for dinner?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied again with certainty.

"Promise not to be late or to rush off in the middle of dinner?" she continued.

This time he sounded a little more cautious, "Yes, but…"

"No. No, 'buts', Edward," Bella replied in a firm tone.

"I promise not to be late or rush off in the middle of dinner," he said.

"Good, then all is forgiven," she said with a smile in her voice once again.

Edward chuckled. "I'm still planning on making it up to you."

"Good," she repeated more softly this time.

)( )( )( )(

Edward showed up ten minutes early at Bella's door the following evening, a mixed bouquet of purple hyacinth and white violets…interspersed with palm leaves. It was an unusual combination, but somehow it worked.

When Bella opened the door she smiled at him, glancing at the bouquet. "Hello, Edward."

Edward eyes widened when he saw her. She was a vision in a deep wine colored wrap around dress and high heels. Smiling he said, "Bella, you look gorgeous." Leaning in, he kissed her softly, letting his lips linger on hers for a moment before he pulled back and held out the bouquet. "These are for you."

"They're lovely," she smiled and took the bouquet, using it as an opportunity to tiptoe up and kiss him. "Thank you."

He gave her a crooked smile and looked at the flowers in her hand. "The purple flowers are hyacinth, they mean 'I'm sorry,' these white ones are violets, they mean 'give us a chance,' and the palm leaves, well, that's just us…"

She chuckled. "Are they? How appropriate." She smiled and stood to one side to let him into the apartment. "Please, come in while I put these in some water."

Edward stepped inside and glanced to the potted palm which had been moved closer to a window where it could get some light. "Seems like he palm is doing well."

Bella smiled, made her way to the kitchen, and found a vase. "Yes, well, wouldn't want anything to happen to it," she said with a blush.

He glanced her way and smiled. "Good." Edward watched her as she moved around the kitchen and then came out to the living room where she set the flowers on one of the end tables.

"Do the flowers really mean what you said?" she asked, fingering one of the petals softly.

Edward nodded. "I did some research." He'd also found out that the palm leaves stood for victory, but he wasn't confident enough to tell her that. Victory in terms of their relationship was something he was only hoping for thus far.

She grinned at him and went up to kiss him softly again. "Thank you. It's very thoughtful of you, but let's hope there's no need for the hyacinth again anytime soon."

Edward gave her a sheepish smile and nodded.

)( )( )( )(

Bella hand rested in the crook of Edward's arm as they walked up the steps of Senator Cullen's home. In one hand he held a bottle of expensive whiskey, in the other he held another bouquet of flowers. She was happily surprised that he had been so thoughtful in bringing something along for their hosts.

In the car he told her that the pretty, fragrant flowers were sweetpeas. Apparently he'd really done his research, telling her that they stood for thanks.

He'd also told her the flowers he'd given to her weren't his way of making things up to her. He planned to do a lot more.

She had really liked the sound of that.

Edward sighed a bit and watched as Bella used her free hand to ring the doorbell to the house, but as Bella squeezed his arm and smiled up at him, he knew everything would be all right.

Somehow, when he was around her, he wasn't worried about the things that were going on at work. He only worried about her and making her happy. Of course, he hadn't done the best job of it thus far.

The previous night after he had gotten Alec settled at his place, making sure the kid sobered up a bit and staying up with him till Edward was sure he wasn't suffering from a concussion, he'd remembered that he was supposed to drive Bella home. Instead he'd left her standing on the sidewalk. He had a legitimate excuse, but he still felt like a dick.

Edward had called her as soon as Alec had passed out on his couch, worried that she wouldn't answer or that she'd reject him. She hadn't done either and she'd given him another chance. He still didn't understand why, but he was grateful.

The Senator opened the front door and smiled at both of them. "Bella! Edward! Good to see you both. Please come in."

As they stepped into the house, and before they had a chance to say anything, Esme Cullen came into the foyer, drying her hands on the apron she was wearing as he called out, "Who is it, darling?...Oh, Bella! Edward! How good to see you both." Esme came forward and gave Bella a kiss on the cheek and smiled up at Edward.

"Hello, Esme," Bella said with a soft smile.

Edward smiled as he watched them great each other. He'd been surprised to see Esme in an apron, having expected that like most of the women in D.C. she would have hired a caterer to do the cooking. "Hello, Senator Cullen, Mrs. Cullen. Thank you so much for the invitation this evening." He held out the bouquet of flowers to Esme who immediately gave him a bright smile.

"Thank you, Edward," these are lovely.

Edward smiled in response and handed the bottle of Johnny Walker Blue to Carlisle after he finished helping Bella take off her coat.

"You must have done your homework. This is my favorite liquor," Carlisle said with a smile. "Thank you."

Edward just smiled and handed over his coat as Carlisle set aside the bottle of liquor. "You're very welcome, Senator."

Carlisle smiled. "Please, call me Carlisle."

Edward nodded.

"Alice and Jasper went out to get some wine since Alice insisted my selection was subpar," Esme was telling Bella with a chuckle. "Either that or she want to smack around Jasper in private."

Bella sighed and shook her head while Edward looked confused and Carlisle just chuckled.

"Can you help me finish up in the kitchen, Bella? I'm sure that Alice and Jasper won't be long," Esme said as she took Bella's hand.

"Certainly, Esme," Bella replied as she smiled at Edward as she was led away.

Edward just smiled in return as he watched Bella walk away. He barely noticed as Carlisle came to stand up beside him.

He took in the look on Edward's face.

Carlisle knew that look. He still looked at Esme that way. As a matter of fact he remembered the first time he'd seen Esme. He was fresh out of law school, working for the legal division of his father's company. Esme had been working in the contracts division and she'd come into his office with a look of fury on her face. It had disappeared for a second when she'd seen him, but then she'd gone off on him about some work that hadn't been done. She was the most gorgeous, fiery woman he had ever seen. After he'd apologized, said he'd get on it right away and gotten her to calm down, he'd asked her to dinner. She'd refused. In fact, she'd refused the next three times he'd asked her, saying that she wouldn't date the boss' son. It was only after he'd shown her a copy of his letter of resignation that she'd agreed to go out with him. The rest was history.

Clapping Edward on the back he chuckled. "How about a drink?"


	19. Chapter 19

Bella stood at the island in the kitchen placing some steamed asparagus into a serving dish as Esme moved around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner.

"So Alice told me you and Edward have been going out for a couple of weeks now," Esme said as she filled another serving dish with garlic herbed mashed potatoes.

Bella nodded and smiled. "Yes."

"He's a handsome man," Esme said with a smile and a mischievous gleam in her hazel eyes.

Bella just blushed and smiled, "Yes. Very much so."

Esme grinned. "He's always been a very kind, considerate gentleman."

"Have you met him before?" Bella asked.

"Oh, yes," said Esme. "He's at a lot of party functions, but we met him even before that. Carlisle and I were, well, I guess you can say we were friends with his parents."

Bella looked over at Esme. "Were you? He didn't mention that."

"We weren't all that close. We had really just started to get to know them a short time before their unfortunate accident, but I like to think that we would have become close friends if they hadn't passed on," Esme said.

Bella nodded. "He and I haven't really talked about his parents."

"That's to be expected, dear," Esme replied with a kind smile. "You two are just getting to know each other and I'm sure that's not the easiest of topics for him to talk about. He'll open up in time I'm sure."

Bella nodded and was about to say something else when Alice came into the room carrying two bottles of wine. "I swear, that man is exasperating!" she said with a huff as she set the bottles on the counter.

"Which one?" Esme asked with a chuckle.

Both Bella and Alice started to laugh.

)( )( )( )(

Jasper came into the living room frowning a bit.

"Everything all right, Jasper?" Carlisle asked with a knowing smile as he sipped at his drink.

Jasper nodded. "Yes, Senator." His gaze wandered to Edward. "Masen," he said as he nodded in his direction.

Edward stood up and held out his hand to Jasper. "Hello, Jasper."

Jasper took his hand and shook it.

Carlisle stood up and went to a small liquor cabinet set up in a corner of the living room. "I'd offer you a drink, Jasper, but now that you and Alice are back I'm sure that Esme is going to be calling us into dinner at any moment." He poured a drink for Jasper anyway as he spoke and walking over he held it out to his Chief of Staff. "Then again, if my daughter is anything like her mother you're going to need this."

Jasper chuckled and took the drink while Edward hid a smile by sipping at his own glass.

Edward got a feeling that something was going on, but he didn't feel that it was his place to ask.

"I don't know if she's like Mrs. Cullen, sir, but she's sure is stubborn," Jasper replied after downing half his drink.

Carlisle chuckled. "Then she's _definitely_ like her mother."

At that moment Esme came into the living room. "Talking about me?" She asked with an arched brow.

All three men stood up and Carlisle went up and gave her a kiss. "Of course, dear. Jasper was just saying how wonderful he thinks Alice is and I was saying she takes after you."

Esme gave him a smile and a look that said that she didn't believe him for a minute and she shook her head. "Of course that's what you were talking about," she said sarcastically. "Supper is ready, why don't you all join us in the dining room," she added while looking from Carlisle to Edward and Jasper.

Carlisle just chuckled and moved to take his empty glass to the kitchen while Esme took Jasper and Edward's glasses from them and followed Carlisle.

Jasper motioned to Edward. "This way."

Edward followed, smiling when he saw Bella sitting there across from Alice. Moving to her side she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it a bit just as Esme and Carlisle reentered the room.

The men remained standing until Esme sat down. "Well, I hope you're all hungry."

"You did make enough to feed the entire Senate, mom," Alice said in a teasing tone.

Carlisle laughed and started to carve the roast that Esme had made. "You know your mother loves to cook and she has to send all of you home with leftovers. Used to do that when we were dating too. I swear I gained more weight while we were dating than I did in all my years in college. Course, she did help me work it off."

"Dad!" Alice exclaimed in an embarrassed tone.

Bella, Edward, and Jasper all tried to hide their smiles.

Carlisle looked up from carving the roast. "What? We went jogging almost every day!"

Esme looked at her husband with a smile and shook her head while Alice just rolled her eyes a bit.

"This all looks delicious, Esme," Bella said with a smile as they started to pass around the food.

"Yes, Mrs. Cullen," Edward added, "It's been a while since I've had a good home cooked meal."

"We cooked together the other night at your place," Bella said. Bella didn't realize how that sounded until Alice giggled a bit. Looking up she saw Jasper frowning a bit and Carlisle and Esme pointedly concentrating on serving up the food. Looking at Edward she noticed he had an amused smile on his face as he replied, "Yes, yes we did."

Bella blushed brightly and sipped at her glass of wine.

"This really does look good, ma'am," said Jasper. "But, then your cooking is always amazing."

"Jasper constantly complains that I didn't take after you in that respect," Alice said just before she started to eat.

"Well, you can't even make pre-packed mac n' cheese, Alice," Bella said with a smile.

Esme smiled. "I tried to teach her to cook, but she was just never was all that interested."

Edward started to eat, listening to the conversation and watching the interaction between everyone at the table. He had missed this for a long, long time. The people at this table were family, even Bella and Jasper. He had been an only child, but he remembered sitting for dinner with his parents. His mother had always made the effort to have them eat together as a family whenever possible. He remembered how they would tease each other in much the same manner that Senator and Mrs. Cullen did. How they would talk about everyday things. In a way, it was how they kept up with each other's lives.

He hadn't realized how much he missed that until this moment. It was rare now at days that he felt the loss of his parents. It was actually one of the reasons that he had gone to work for Senator Aro Volturi. He hadn't wanted to work for someone like his father…someone like Senator Cullen. It brought up too many memories, just as it was doing now.

Edward loved the political arena. He always had. He had wanted to work in politics since he was a young boy, though it had little to do with his family's legacy and more to do with a love of the democratic process. His plans hadn't changed even after his parents' accident. But, when he had been offered jobs after graduation he had felt the pangs of loss sharply with each person he met, thinking that he should be working with his father. Until he met Senator Volturi who was nothing like his father. He figured if he worked for someone that was polar opposite in temperament from his father that he wouldn't be reminded of his loss on a daily basis.

Bella noticed Edward frowning and she leaned towards him and resting her hand lightly on his thigh she whispered, "Are you all right?"

Edward nodded, giving her a soft smile and he reached under the table to squeeze her hand, kissing her cheek before he whispered softly back, "I'm fine, dearest."

She blushed at his term of endearment.

Neither of them noticed Jasper watching them thoughtfully from across the table.

)( )( )( )(

Everyone seemed at ease with each other at dinner, even Jasper. If the conversation even hinted at going in the direction of business or politics of any sort, Esme did an excellent job of steering the conversation in a different direction.

Edward felt more at ease with each passing moment and was drawn into the conversation by Bella, Esme, Alice, and Carlisle. They talked about everyday things like cooking, movies, and books. The Senator relayed some of his hijinks in college that had the whole table laughing. They were especially amused when they found out about the time that Carlisle had been studying so hard for an exam his first year of college that he'd almost slept right through it. When he'd woken up he realized that the exam time was almost over and had run clear across campus in nothing but boxers and a robe. Luckily the professor had let him make up the exam in his office afterwards.

The food was wonderful and the company was excellent. It was definitely not the type of evening that Edward had expected.

By the end of the meal Esme insisted that she and Carlisle would clean up later and they had coffee and drinks in the living room.

Edward excused himself, asking his hosts if it would be all right if he went outside for a quick smoke.

"Certainly, Edward," Esme said with a smile. "There's an ashtray on the back patio on the corner of the railing. Carlisle does love his cigars," she added as she gave Carlisle a chastising glance.

Edward nodded and headed in the direction she pointed out when Jasper said, "I'll join you." He didn't miss the fact that Alice gave Jasper a warning look and Bella frowned a bit, but he just nodded and headed outside, pulling a pack of cigarettes and his lighter from his pocket.

Looking towards Jasper, who had come to stand beside him, he offered out the pack, but Jasper shook his head and said, "I don't smoke," causing Edward to arch a brow and shrug as he lit up his own cigarette.

After blowing out a stream of smoke Edward sighed and asked, "Something on your mind?"

Jasper sighed and stuck his hands in the pocket of his trousers. "You and Bella seem to be getting on well."

Edward just nodded, not saying anything.

"I suppose she's told you that I've given her a bit of a hard time about dating you," Jasper said.

Edward glanced at Jasper and arched a brow, "Actually, she hasn't told me about that." He frowned at Jasper.

"Oh, well," Jasper had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"You don't like that we're seeing each other because of the fact that I work for Senator Volturi," Edward stated, frowning as he looked down at the lit cigarette in his hand, noticing just out of the corner of his eye that Jasper nodded.

"We're in the same party, you know," Edward said. "I'm not the enemy."

"Aren't you?" Jasper asked, though his voice wasn't bitter, it was genuinely questioning in tone.

Edward just sighed, knowing what Jasper meant. He knew that Aro was going to seek the party's nomination for the presidential ticket…and so was Carlisle. And, though that may mean that they were in the same political party, that also meant that they and their teams were on opposing sides, fighting for the same thing that only one of them could have.

"We don't discuss work," Edward said before he took another drag from his cigarette.

Jasper looked at him with an arched brow. "You may try not to, but if you two continue to see each other and get serious won't that be impossible?"

"I don't think so," Edward said. Sure, he wasn't naïve; he knew that work would come into their conversations at times; after all, it was an important part of both their lives. Edward continued, "I mean, we'll discuss it, but I think we can keep our jobs from affecting our relationship and vice versa. If people don't interfere and let it affect the way they work with us," he said as he gave Jasper a pointed look.

"Touché," said Jasper softly, looking out into the snow covered yard.

"She's a great woman, Edward, and watching the two of your together…" Jasper sighed and just shook his head. "Masen, I'm going to kick your ass in the primaries, there's no doubt about that, but if you hurt her, I'll kick your ass in a way that'll leave you bleeding."

Edward frowned and just nodded, not even arguing.


	20. Chapter 20

Edward drove Bella home after they left the Cullen's house though he was rather quiet on the ride there. When she asked if he was all right, he reached out, took her hand, squeezed it gently, smiled, and said, "I'm fine."

She worried her lower lip between her teeth for a moment and just nodded, hoping Jasper hadn't said anything to upset him.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight," she said, squeezing his hand back.

He lifted her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it softly before he smiled at her, "It was my pleasure. I really enjoyed myself."

Bella smiled softly at him and whispered, "I'm glad."

"The Cullens have always been very nice people," he said.

"They are," Bella said. "Esme mentioned that you've known them for a while."

"I met them for the first time when I was about sixteen," he said quietly. "My parents invited them over for supper. Can't say that I spent much time with them after my parents passed away. My father really liked Senator Cullen."

Since Edward had never really talked about his parents before she encouraged him to continue. "Did he?"

"Yes," he said and seemed to hesitate before saying anything further. "He…he told me that he'd hope that he'd agree to his running mate if he got the party's nomination."

Bella was surprised at the admission. She knew that Jasper would kill to get his hands on that information, knowing that Senator Cullen was about to announce his candidacy for the party's ticket. She also knew that Senator Volturi would be less than pleased at finding out the same information. Bella was sure of one thing, Edward was showing her he trusted her by telling her this.

"That would have been a powerful ticket," she said with a sad smile.

"Yes, I would have liked to have seen that race," Edward said sadly.

Bella brought their joint hands up to rub her cheek gently against the back of his hand and she replied, "I would have liked to have seen that race, too."

He smiled at her and they rode the rest of the way in silence, but surprisingly enough it was a comfortable silence. Edward had a hard time trusting people, especially people that worked in politics. Despite the fact that he had grown up in the world of politics, his bitterness and prejudices against the people he worked around on a daily basis hadn't started to grow until he had started working with Aro. It wasn't that he hadn't been exposed to the darker and less savory part of the political arena before. His father had complained about it constantly, but being part of it, well, that changed things.

Edward trusted Bella. He couldn't say why; he just did.

Jasper kept telling Bella not to trust Edward, but something deep inside her told her she could and every time there were together she had less and less reason to doubt him.

As they drove to her place in silence, she ran her fingers along the back of the hand she was holding, just tracing patterns along his skin. She could tell he liked it by the way he was smiling when she glanced in his direction.

When they reached the front of her building, Edward let go for her hand a moment as he parked the car. Shutting down the engine he turned to her and smiled. Bella smiled back and she didn't wait for him as she undid her seatbelt, leaned towards him and kissed him softly. He kissed her softly back, his hands moving to gently cup her face as she leaned across the car's console.

Edward couldn't believe the thrill that ran through him as he kissed her. There was no way to describe it. The closest he could think to describe it was as if his whole soul were trembling in joy at anticipation at finding his other half.

He felt her part her lips and he couldn't help but moan as her tongue gently touched his lips, seeking to taste him. He parted his lips and moved his tongue against his, moaning at the taste of her, registering that she had moaned as well. Edward's hands trailed from her face down her neck and one hand moved lower inside her open coat, and he gently cupping her breast. He could feel her nipple tighten through the thin fabric of her dress and bra. As she shivered at his touch he deepened the kiss even more.

His arms went around her, wanting to pull her closer, but she broke the kiss and winced, "Ow. Gearshift."

"Sorry," he whispered and she grinned at him in the darkness. "I feel like a teenager, making out in a car like this."

He laughed huskily and whispered against her lips after kissing her softly, "How many boys have you made out with in cars, Miss Swan?"

Bella smiled and kissed along his jaw, trailing her lips to his ear she whispered, "Actually this is the first time I've made out in a car, Mr. Masen."

Nuzzling her neck he smiled and kissed her soft skin gently as she tilted her head back. "Is that right? Well, there's a first time for everything."

Bella felt the gearshift dig into her hip and she giggled. "How does this work exactly?"

He laughed and looked at her, "Usually it doesn't. Uh, not in the front seat anyway."

She laughed and kissed him again before whispering against his lips, "Are you asking me to move to the backseat with you?"

He kissed her and actually giggled which made her giggle in turn right before she kissed him. The kiss started to heat up again and they were both moaning as both their hands started to wander.

Eventually, Bella pulled away and asked huskily, "Do…do you want to come up?"

He kissed her and groaned. "I do," he replied, but instead of moving to get out of the car he kissed her hungrily again, this time he attempted to shift their position so that he was leaning across the console of the car, but his seatbelt stopped him and he cursed a bit before fumbling with it. As he leaned into kiss her again the gearshift dug into his ribs.

Edward realized that Bella was right, this really was uncomfortable, but the discomfort he felt was nothing compared to the feel of her lips on his skin, the feel of her hands under his coat and jacket, or the feel of her skin as his hand slid under the hem of her skirt. Just as his hand started to slid further up to her hip, a muffled knocking sound could be heard on the passenger side window and both of them jumped apart, looking much like guilty teenagers as they looked to the fogged up window.

They could barely make out the hazy figure through the condensation their heavy breathing and the cold outside had created on the glass and Edward turned the key so he could open the window slightly.

It was Alice. Seeing that it was her he opened the window all the way

"Um, hey guys, hate to interrupt," she blushed, obviously embarrassed at having to do so. "But, I forgot my keys at my parents' and, uh, Jasper just took off." It also looked like she was really upset.

"Oh, okay, Alice." Bella glanced at Edward, giving him an apologetic look and she reached for her purse and handed over her keys through the open window. "I'll be right up."

Alice managed a bit of a smile and said, "No rush. I wouldn't have interrupted but it was getting kinda cold." She gave them a small wave and turned to rush up the steps to the building. Edward made sure she was safely inside before he closed the window again.

"Sorry about that," Bella said with a sigh. "She was probably fighting with Jasper."

Edward smiled, "It's all right." He was quiet a moment. "Jasper seems to have a stick up his ass sometimes."

Bella blinked and then laughed. "You can say that. He has a really hard time balancing the personal and professional side of things."

"I…noticed," Edward said hesitantly.

Bella glanced at him. "Is that what he was talking with you outside at the Cullens'?"

Edward nodded and sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest. "He brought up some good points."

"Did he?" Bella asked, trying to keep the tension out of her voice.

Edward just nodded and then turned his head to look at her and he smiled a bit. "But, I did too. What it all comes down to is, well, I trust you and want to be with you."

Bella smiled at him and reaching out she rested her hand on his cheek. "I trust you, too, Edward."

He turned his and kissed the palm of the hand that had been resting against his cheek and then he smiled at her. "Perhaps you should go check on Alice."

Bella couldn't help the look of disappointment on her face. "You sure you don't want to come up?"

Smiling he leaned in to kiss her again. "I do…God knows I do." The kissing continued for a bit. "What are you doing tomorrow?" he finally asked.

"I was just going to catch up on some work here in my apartment," Bella said.

"Come over tomorrow?" he asked a hopeful look in his eyes. "If you really need to do work you could bring it with you."

Bella smiled. "I'll see if I can borrow Alice's car."

"I'll pick you up," he said without hesitation. "About 9 or so?"

She nodded. "I'll be ready."

He gave her a quick kiss and she turned to open her car door. "

"Wait," he said and he hopped out of the car before she had a chance to react. Moving around the front of the car he went to open her door for her and took her hand to help her out onto the snow covered sidewalk.

Bella smiled at him and waited for him to close the door behind her before she walked with him up the front steps of the building. At the doors she turned to him to say something, but before she could he pulled her close and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. His lips and tongue moved against her own as his arms wrapped around her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. As it continued, he leaned her back slightly, pulling her taunt against him. It was the kind of kiss that every girl dreams of getting, the kind that every director in Hollywood tried to get on film, a kiss of promises that set a girl to tingle.

When he pulled away they were both breathless and he gave her a crooked smile. "I'll see you tomorrow." He gave her another quick kiss. "Goodnight."

She barely managed to whisper, "Goodnight," before her one last quick kiss and then rushed down the steps back to his car while she stood there in a daze. Right before he got into his car he gave her this brilliant, boyish smile that set her heart aflutter and then he waved and got into the car and drove off.


	21. Chapter 21

Bella woke up the following morning just an hour before Edward was supposed to come by to pick her up. She had planned to wake up earlier, but she had gone to sleep later than expected after staying up half the night talking with Alice, talking and eating ice cream.

Apparently, though the excuse to go get wine before dinner _had_ been about Edward and Bella's relationship, they had fought about their own relationship after dinner. Alice was tired of not having a real public relationship with Jasper and she wanted to start doing things more publicly. Jasper didn't agree and thought it was best to wait till sometime after Carlisle made his announcement to run for the party's ticket for president. He even suggested that they might wait till after the primaries.

"It'll just be one thing after another," Alice had said while shedding angry tears. "First, the announcement, then the primaries, then the elections, then four more years, then another set of elections, the four more years after that! It's never going to end and he's just going to keep on making excuses. I'm going to die an old maid!" Alice wailed before stuffing a huge spoonful of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia dipped in chocolate sauce into her mouth even as big fat tears spilled down her face.

Bella had tried to console her as best she could, telling Alice that Jasper really did love her, even if he _was_ being a jerk.

They had finished up two cartons of ice cream and half a bottle of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup before they'd made their way to bed.

Taking a quick shower, grateful she had washed and set her hair the night before, Bella came out of her bathroom just in time to hear Alice knocking on her door. "Bella?"

"Hold on!" she called as she tied the sash to her bathrobe around her waist and answered the door.

Alice looked tired, but she giggled as she saw Bella in the bathrobe and shower cap. "That's definitely not a good look for you."

Bella just laughed. "Shut up."

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving," Alice said. "If you need to get a hold of me call my cell. If it's off and you really need to talk to me call Alistair's cell or the loft. You have that numbers, right?"

Bella nodded. Alice had been planning this trip up to New York with Alistair, her business partner, for a couple of weeks. They were buying fabric or something. If Alice was talking about leaving her cell phone off then it meant she was avoiding Jasper.

"All right," Bella said and gave her a quick hug. "Take care and have fun."

Alice nodded and hugged her back. "Have fun with Edward today. I'll bring you some fabulous stuff back from New York."

Bella just chuckled and watched as Alice made her way out towards the living room, calling out behind her, "Use my car if you need to! There's a spare set of keys in the kitchen junk drawer!"

"Thanks, Alice!" Bella called back and slipped back into her room to get ready.

)( )( )( )(

Edward knocked on Bella's door a couple of minutes before nine, his hands in the pockets of his slacks as he waited patiently for her to answer. After a moment she opened the door and smiled brightly at him. "Hey, Edward." She tiptoed up and kissed him.

Smiling he kissed her back, one hand moving to the small of her back.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Almost," she said, "Come on in."

He stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him as Bella continued talking, "I woke up late this morning. Alice and I had a late night."

"She all right?" Edward asked as he watched her gather empty cartons of ice cream and tissues off the coffee table in the living room.

Bella just smiled and shrugged as she walked to the kitchen.

He didn't press her any further. As she moved around the kitchen tidying up he moved to the potted palm in front of the window, smiling as he fingered one of the palm leaves, noticing that it was well taken care of. It actually looked healthier than it had when he'd given it to her. It made him smile to know that the stupid palm seemed important to her.

Bella came out of the kitchen and smiled. "Sorry about that. I just hate leaving this place a mess. I'm ready now." She was picking up a large laptop bag from the couch.

Edward nodded and went over to take the bag from her. "I'll get that."

She smiled and tiptoed up to brush her lips against his. "Thanks."

As they made their way downstairs and to the car, Edward asked, "Have you had breakfast?"

"No, but I wasn't all that hungry," Bella said, adding when she saw his curious look. "Late night Ben & Jerry's."

"Ah," he said with a laugh as he opened the door to the car for her.

As he moved around the car to the passenger side and slipped in he smiled, "If we get hungry we can just cook at my place later."

"Sounds like a plan," she said.

)( )( )( )(

They actually did work when they got to his place. They were on opposite ends of the couch, Edward was reading several briefs concerning some bills that the Senator was involved in and Bella was typing away at her laptop, still working on the same speech she had been for the last week. It had to be perfect.

They had been working for a while when Edward stopped reading and just looked at her. He could tell that she was very involved in what she was doing. She would type furiously, her brow drawn together and creased in concentration as she worried her lower lip between her teeth, then she would stop, read whatever she'd written out loud in a soft whisper and then she would either frown and hit the backspace button or smile and the whole process would start again.

It was adorable.

"Do you always work like that?" he finally had to ask with a smile.

She peered over the top of the laptop at him with wide eyes and tilted her head. "Work like what?"

"You read aloud to yourself," he said with a chuckle.

She blushed brightly. "I do not!"

He laughed. "Yes, you do. And, you work so intently you haven't even noticed that I've been watching you work for the last fifteen minutes."

Bella continued to blush and laughed. "Shouldn't you be concentrating on _your_ work?"

With a shrug, Edward tossed the brief he'd been reading onto the nearby coffee table. "I should, but I keep getting distracted."

"Oh?" she asked with a knowing smiled, as she kept her gaze on the computer screen.

She was already saving her work when he moved, leaning over the laptop screen. He whispered, "You're a distraction," right before his lips brushed up against hers.

Bella kissed him back, closing her laptop as she did. He barely waited for the click before he pulled the laptop off her lap and breaking the kiss he moved to set it on the coffee table.

Edward had barely turned back to face her when her lips were on his again and her hands went to his face, fingers lightly caressing his jaw as her lips parted under his. She moaned as she felt his tongue immediately move past her lips to taste her.

As they kissed, his arm went around her waist and he pulled her close, causing her body to slide a bit down on the couch so she was practically lying under him.

Edward moaned as he held her close, shifting their positions more so that they were both lying on the couch, letting part of his weight press her into the cushions. He broke the kiss with a ragged breath and trailed his lips against her jaw, then her neck even as his hands slid under the hem of her sweater, fingers wrapping around the side of her torso, caressing the warm skin he encountered there.

Bella tilted her head back with a sigh as she felt his lips on her neck and as she felt his hand sliding under her sweater her own hands roamed along his back. She loved the feel of his muscles under the fabric of his shirt, the way the moved as he shifted above her, trying not to place too much of his weight on her.

Groaning, Edward let his hand slide further up her sweater till he was cupping her breast. His thumb moved over her nipple, causing it to harden through the thin, lace fabric of her bra and as he gasped in pleasure he moved his mouth to hers again, kissing her passionately.

It wasn't long before clothes were being shed, tossed precariously around the room. As he looked at her lying on his couch in nothing but a black lace bra and a matching pair of tiny panties, Edward wondered how he had gotten so lucky.

Bella blushed as she watched Edward take in the sight of her. She let her own eyes travel down his chiseled torso, which was now bare, and she wished he would take off his pants but her eyes snapped back up as he said, "God, you're beautiful." It was the sincerity of his words that made her heart beat even faster and she smiled almost shyly at him as he lifted her up, cradling her in his arms.

As he walked to what she assumed was his bedroom she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck and nibbling as he made his way there. She was nervous, aroused, and excited.

He set her on the bed, but didn't move to lay down himself as he started to remove the rest of his clothes…socks, pants, boxerbriefs…

_Dear lord in heaven_, she thought, _this man is perfection_.

While Edward was undressing, Bella had pulled off the few scraps of fabric she had on and blushed brightly.

Edward watched her, his heart pounding even more. Finally moving onto the bed he pulled her close and they both gasped at the feel of their bare flesh touching.

It was as if they couldn't get enough of each other, hands and lips exploring every inch that they could reach. His lips trailed along the skin of her shoulder and trailed down to her breast where he took her nipple into his mouth, her moan urging him on even as his fingers skimmed along her ribs, stomach and hip. The taste of her in his mouth and the feel of her skin under his fingers was driving him crazy along with the sound of her gasps and moans, but it was the fact that she seemed to want him as much as he wanted her that made he feel more aroused than he had in his entire life.

Bella's hands skimmed along his body, moving along his chest, shoulders, back, and arms before one hand moved in between them and she sighed as she felt his fingers wrap around his cock.

Edward let out a loud groan and moved his lips hungrily to hers again as his own finger moved to the apex of her legs, his finger sliding between her wet folds. "Bella," he moaned against her lips as he looked at her.

She looked at him through half closed eyes and moaned as she felt his fingers moving against her, rubbing against her clit and she closed her eyes as her own hand started to move up and down his length. After a few strokes, she let out a soft cry of protest as he moved out of her reach as he started to kiss down her body, his lips on her breasts, her stomach, her hip, and then she cried out again, this time in complete pleasure as his head moved between her legs and his lips and tongue started to do the most wonderfully wicked things to her.

Edward couldn't taste enough of her as his tongue and lips continued to draw a response. Every cry of pleasure, every moan of ecstasy was making his cock twitch. He wanted her. He _needed _her, but more than that there was this unrelenting urge to pleasure her so he didn't stop, reveling in the feel of her fingers tangled in his hair.

As one hand grasped at Edward's hair the other pressed against the headboard. There was no doubt that the man had skills. She had never, ever felt so much pleasure. As she came she practically screamed, her whole body trembling with the intensity of it.

Even as he felt her climax against his mouth, Edward didn't stop right away, still placing soft licks and kisses on her until he felt her tug at his hair a bit and he looked up at her and smiled.

"I need you," she whispered huskily as their eyes met. "Please?"

He knew what she meant. He needed her as well, and reaching over to the nightstand he opened the drawer and pulled out a condom, moving to kneel next to her on the bed as he tore open the packet and started to slide it on.

Bella watched, reaching out to run her fingers along his thigh and she couldn't help but smile as she looked up at him and he smiled and blushed as he looked back down at her.

Then he was kissing her again and she moaned as she wrapped her arms and then her legs around him, drawing him closer. She felt him reach between them and gasped as he rubbed the head of his cock against her before he slowly started to push into her, causing them both to moan in unison.

When he slid completely into her he went still, just relishing the feel of being inside her, being part of her. He felt whole. He felt complete.

Bella trembled underneath him and she whispered in his ear, "Oh god, Edward."

"Bella," he whispered reverently in response.

Then as if was just more than their bodies that were joined, their thoughts seemed in sync and they started to move at the same time.

Bella couldn't believe how wonderful it felt as she felt him sliding and moving within her depths. She clutched at him with her thighs and arms as she lifted her hips up, moving to receive each one of his thrusts with a moan or cry of pleasure against his mouth as they kissed.

Edward felt like he could spend forever in her arms. Never had he felt such intensity and desire in a woman's arms as they took their time, moving slowly together, touching, and kissing. Eventually he broke the kisses and moaned against her ear as he started to move faster, trying to last so he could push her over the brink and make her come again before he reached his own climax.

He groaned as Bella gasped out, "I'm so close…"

She could already feel herself close to climaxing and she was whimpering and panting as she clung to him. When she did climax her body jerked and arched tightly up against his as her cry filled the room.

Edward couldn't hold back any longer and he let out a strangled cry of his own as he came, pushing as deep into her as he could.

It took them both a while to come down from their respective climaxes and they lay there, clinging to each other, trying to catch their breath and get their heart rates to slow.

As their pulses calmed and their breathing became steady, they lay next to each other, letting their hands move in lazy caresses and their lips move in soft kisses along each other's skin.

Edward kissed her and whispered, "Thank you." The tone of his voice seemed to hold so much implication than those simple words. Even his eyes held an almost worshipful, humble gaze as his green eyes locked with her brown ones. He was thanking her for more than what had just happened between them. Edward felt that she was slowly melting the ice that had surrounded his heart for so long.

Bella only blushed, smiled and kissed him softly, knowing her heart was already lost.

* * *

**A/N: Allright, so I'm not really confident in my ability to write lemons, but if you thought this one was at least decent, please let me know in a review!**


	22. Chapter 22

Later that evening Edward dropped Bella off at home, though he was reluctant to do so. They'd spent most of the day in bed, talking and making love. Even when they talked, they couldn't stop touching each other's bare skin.

He'd left the bed long enough to order Chinese food and once again to slip on his pants and retrieve it when the delivery boy arrived. She'd laughed at his food selection and then they just ate in bed, laughing and talking about nothing in particular.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so happy and relaxed.

When the day started to draw to a close and the shadows in the bedroom grew longer as the sun began to set, they made love one more time, taking their time to bring each other pleasure. Throughout the day that they had become more comfortable and familiar with each other, he began to understand to understand where she liked to be touch and what things he could do to draw the best response from her. He figured out that there was a spot on her neck that was especially sensitive to his kissed and that she had a heart shaped birthmark on her lower back.

She also learned a lot about what he liked and didn't, finding out that he as ticklish if her fingers trailed too close to his armpits or behind his knees.

It had been a perfect day of exploration and togetherness.

Edward had wanted her to stay, but since they both worked in the morning, they knew it wasn't possible. So, as the sun completely disappeared and night descended on the nation's capital, they reluctantly left his bed, got dressed, and gathered her things before he drove Bella home.

When he dropped her off at her doorstep they had kissed for a while and promised to have lunch together the following day before he left, a goofy grin on his face.

Only a few moments after Edward dropped her off, Bella heard a knock on the door and she hurried to open it. "What'd you forg….Oh! Jasper!"

Jasper stood there, hands in the pockets of his coat. "Hey, Bella. Is Alice here?"

Jasper had been trying to reach Alice all day long, but she hadn't answered her cell phone once. He knew she was angry. After dinner at her parents' the night before, they had had the worst argument that they'd ever had. She had asked him to go to a party function in a couple of weeks as her official date. He'd declined feeling that it wasn't the right time. Jasper had recommended waiting till after her father announced his candidacy for the party's ticket and even suggested that they might wait till after the primary elections.

She'd blown a gasket and had gone off on him, talking about how she had put up with his bullshit for too long. Alice had never liked that he didn't acknowledge their relationship in public, she had hated that he let people draw conclusions about his relationship with Bella, but she said she put up with it because that's the way Jasper wanted it and she loved him. He had asked her for more time and when she'd told him time was up, he'd gotten angry and left.

He'd regretted it almost as soon as he pulled away from the curb, leaving her standing in the snow, but he'd decided to give her the evening to cool off.

When he'd tried to call Alice that morning, she hadn't answered. He'd tried again throughout the day and had even stopped by her and Bella's place a couple of times, but no one had answered. He'd decided to try one more time in the evening and Bella had answered.

Bella frowned. "She left this morning for her trip."

Jasper's shoulders slumped a bit and he looked at Bella through tired eyes. "I thought she wasn't leaving till tomorrow."

Bella worried her lower lip and shrugged a bit, not knowing exactly what to tell him. "Would you like to come in?"

Jasper sighed as he made his way into the apartment and he went to plop down onto the couch. "She's not answering her phone," he said dejectedly.

"I figured," Bella said as she locked the door. "You want a drink?"

He nodded and she went to the kitchen and got the vodka out of the freezer.

"She still planning to be gone for two weeks?" Jasper asked.

"Far as I know," replied Bella.

He nodded and leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

Bella nudge his leg as she held out his drink to him. "You look like shit, Jazz."

Jasper took the drink and sighed. "I feel like shit."

Sitting across from him Bella curled up on the loveseat. "Yeah, well, you should."

Jasper looked up and glared at her for just a moment before he sighed and nodded, sipping at his drink.

"She thinks you're stringing her along," said Bella.

He frowned. "I'm not." He noticed Bella arching a brow at him. "All right, maybe I am, but the timing has never been right."

Bella sighed. "Jasper, the time is _never_ going to be right."

He frowned and looked at her as she continued. "Alice love you, there's no doubt about it, but how do you think she feels knowing that you won't acknowledge that you want to be with her?"

"I'd do anything for Alice," Jasper argued.

"No," Bella frowned, "you wouldn't." She held up her hand and stopped him from arguing. "If you would you would have come out as a couple by now. You know that's what she wants. Hell, Jazz, the Senator and Mrs. Cullen know about the two of you. Your family knows. Who else matters?"

She noticed a look on Jasper's face and she frowned. "Wait, your parents do know, don't they?" Bella asked.

Jasper shook his head and winced as Bella cried out, "Jasper Whitlock, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

He sighed and shook his head. Bella had met his parents a couple of times. His father, Grant Whitlock III, was CEO of a large oil company that had begun to dabble in other military contracts during the inception of the U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. He was not only a major player in Texas, but on the national stage as well. It wasn't surprising to find Mr. Whitlock on the cover of a newspaper standing next to the Texas governor or some high ranking military official.

Jasper's mother, Barbara "Barbie" Whitlock, was the perfect Texas wife with her large teased perfectly coiffed hair and long red nails. Her job seemed to be spending Mr. Whitlock's money and throwing charity events. Jasper had told her once that she did this so she could feel she did something useful with her life. He was close to his mother and said the outward, icy demeanor was just a façade and that she really was a loving, caring woman who had just suffered from his father's neglect for too long.

They had never approved of Jasper's deciding to enter politics as a permanent career move after graduating law school. They had expected he would enter the family business. A Whitlock had been at the helm of the business since the original Grant Whitlock had struck black gold in the fields of Texas decades ago. Grant Whitlock IV, Jasper's older brother, would have been the fourth man of such a name to head the company if he hadn't died in a car accident when he was in his mid-teens.

Yes, Jasper's parents, and especially his father, were not the most understanding people, but Bella still didn't understand why he hadn't told them.

She watched as Jasper shook his head. "You don't get it, Bella."

"No, obviously I don't," she said angrily. "Does Alice even know that you haven't told your parents about her?"

Jasper shook his head and Bella frowned.

"Well, fuck…"she said with a sigh. Alice was going to be even more pissed whenever she found out. "Why haven't you told them? It's not like Alice comes from a bad family or that she's an embarrassment or anything."

"I know that," Jasper said in frustration and stood up as he started to pace the living room.

Bella watched him, not knowing what to say anymore.

"I was engaged," Jasper blurted out.

Bella just blinked.

He sat down and sighed dejectedly, "I was engaged to be married."

"I…kinda figured that's what you meant," now Bella wasn't sure she wanted to hear the rest of what he had to say, feeling it was a betrayal that he was telling her instead of Alice, but before she could stop him he launched into the story.

"Her name was María Hinojosa. She and I were both undergrads at UT at the same time…" Jasper launched into the story of how he'd met this María in one of his Spanish classes at the University of Texas at Austin. They'd gotten close pretty fast and before he knew it he was vacationing with her family in Mexico and she was accompanying him home for the holidays. His parents had approved of the relationship when they'd found out who she was. María's father had even helped him get into law school, something that he felt he hadn't earned on his own.

"Wait," Bella said, "Hinojosa, as in Congressman Joe Hinojosa, head of the House Committee on Appropriations?"

Jasper just nodded.

"Oh," Bella said, just looking at him with wide eyes. "So you got engaged before you graduated and left to Stanford. Did you break it off while you were in law school then?"

Jasper just frowned and when he looked rather ashamed, Bella groaned. "Shit, Jasper, please tell me you haven't turned Alice into the other woman."

He blinked and quickly denied it. "What? No! No, it's not like that. María and I started to drift apart while I was in law school. I mean, I was in California and she was back in Texas working on her master's degree. Neither of us was in any real hurry to plan a wedding and then I accepted the job with Carlisle and met Alice, well, that kind of sealed the deal for me and we broke it off."

"I take it your parents weren't pleased," Bella said.

"That's…putting things mildly," Jasper agreed.

She sighed and shook her head. "You're going to have to tell them. Hey, at this rate they might end up having a daughter-in-law who is the President's daughter. I'd say that's a bit of an upgrade from some old committee member's daughter."

Jasper scowled. "I don't care about that. I mean…I do care about the Senator achieving his goals, I mean I don't care…"

Bella interrupted him, "I know what you mean."

He sighed and nodded. "What do I do?"

She shrugged. "You start making things right."

"How?" he said, a desperate tone at the edge of his voice.

"You don't hide your feelings from anyone anymore, including Alice. You know you're going to have to tell her all this and that she's not going to be happy."

He nodded and leaned his head back on the couch closing his eyes again.

"Keeping work and personal relationships separate when they're so fucking intertwined at every step is impossible, isn't it?" Jasper said tiredly.

Though she knew he was talking about himself, she couldn't help that she should take heed of his words.

When she stayed quiet Jasper opened his eyes to look at her. "Shit, I'm sorry, Bella, I didn't mean…" he sighed and let his words trail off. "Masen's a good sort; it's just none of us can understand why he chooses to work for Volturi is all."

"I'm sure he has his reasons," she said quietly.

Jasper nodded and looked at her. "You really like him." It was a statement, not a question.

Bella nodded and smiled, thinking of the day they'd just spent together.

"Good," he said with a bit of a smile, "you deserve to be happy. He seems to do that for you."

"Thanks, Jazz," she said with a soft smile.


	23. Chapter 23

By midweek, Bella had been able to have lunch with Edward once, and though it had been a quick meal, they had enjoyed their time together and had promised that they would find more time to be with each other before the week was out. And, despite the fact that they couldn't spend time together due to their work obligations, he called her almost every evening. She was happier than she had been in a long time.

Jasper on the other hand was having a rough week. He still hadn't heard from Alice. He kept coming into Bella's office, asking if she had heard from her and dropping hints that she should contact Alice on his behalf. Bella was trying to stay out of the whole situation as much as possible. Sure she wanted Jasper and Alice to work it out, they were both her friends, but Jasper was her boss after all.

Jasper was right about one thing, sometimes mixing business and personal lives was impossible, but it was her friendship with him and Alice that were causing all her troubles, not her relationship with Edward.

She was lost in her thoughts as she stared at a blank page on her computer screen when she heard a knock on her door, smiling immediately when she saw it was Edward.

"Edward!" she said happily as she stood up from her seat.

Edward smiled at her and looked around her office. "You really weren't kidding when you said this was a closet."

He closed the door behind him as Bella went up to him. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed, letting it linger for a while before breaking apart and smiling.

"Hello," said Edward softly as he looked down at her.

"Hi," Bella replied with a wide grin. "What brings you by?"

He smiled and brushed her hair from her face. "Just thought I would stop by for a visit. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," she smiled and gave him a quick kiss before she turned her head and looked around. "Though there's really not much to see here."

He smiled. "I beg to differ," he said as he looked directly at her.

She looked back at him curiously then blushed at seeing what he meant. Shaking her head she hid her embarrassment at the compliment and looked around. "It really is small, but it's mine."

Edward chuckled and looked around. "I've actually seen staffers with worse, believe it or not."

Bella moved away from him and sighed. "I believe it, but then I was warned about space issues before I came out here to D.C."

He nodded and moved around the room, going to her bookshelf where her digital frame was cycling through pictures that she had seen a thousand times, but that were new to him.

Edward smiled as he saw the different pictures flashing across the small 5x7 screen including Bella's pictures with her parents at her graduation, her and Alice, as well as some others with Jasper and the Cullens.

Bella leaned against her desk and watched him, smiling as he smiled at seeing her photographs. He looked around the rest of the room and his eyes stopped at her desk, noting the book still being used to even out one of the legs of her desk. Leaning down he examined it more closely.

"Don't like Pride and Prejudice?" he asked with an arched brow.

"What?" she responded in confusion, "What would make you say that it's actually my fa…" she stopped midsentence as she realized why he was asking. "Oh, you mean because I'm using it to prop up the desk. Jasper did it. Ruined my copy in the process."

Edward frowned. "He should have seen if he could get you a new desk."

"I'm sure he's put in a requisition," she shrugged.

"He used your favorite book," he said with a frown.

Bella chuckled and shook her head and going up to him she rested her arms on his shoulders and lightly clasped her hands behind the nape of his neck. "Edward, I don't want to discuss Jasper…or Pride and Prejudice for that matter."

He smiled at her as his arms went around her waist. "Oh? And, what did you want to discuss, Ms. Swan?"

"Well, actually, I was going to call you tonight to see if you had any plans this weekend," Bella said with a smile.

Edward smiled and shrugged a bit. "Emmett and I were going to hang out a bit, but other than that…" he let his voice trail off.

"I got tickets to see a new exhibit at a local gallery. I actually have four of them if you'd like to invite Emmett and Rosalie to come along," she said as her fingers brushed at the short hair at the nape of his neck.

He laughed. "You mean like a double date…with Emmett? Are you sure about that?"

Bella tilted her head curiously. "Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"Uh, well, obviously you haven't been exposed to Emmett enough," Edward said with a chuckle.

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "He seemed…sweet."

"Sweet? You definitely don't know Emmett then," Edward said, kissing her softly. "I'll tell you what, I'll ask and let you know later this evening, tomorrow at the latest. Sound good?"

She nodded after kissing him back.

"You sure you don't want to invite Jasper and Alice?" It wasn't that he didn't like the fact that she wanted to get to know his friends, but he didn't want her friends feeling left out either.

Bella shook her head. "Alice is still in New York for another week and a half." She didn't go into the foul mood that Jasper had been in, but she was sure Edward could figure it out for himself.

"Ah, well, then I'll definitely try to get Emmett to go," he responded with a smile. Though he didn't know much about what was going on with Alice and Jasper, he knew it couldn't be good. Even he noticed Jasper's mood when he'd run into him earlier in the day. "When is the show?"

"Nine on Saturday evening. I figured we could dinner beforehand," Bella said with a smile.

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He leaned down to kiss her softly, pulling her a bit closer.

She melted into the kiss and moaned a bit a she pressed against him.

The kiss was starting to become a bit more heated when he pulled away with a sigh, his lips trailing to her ear and he whispered, "I'm afraid if we keep that up I'm going to get carried away, and I think we should wait for you to get a more stable desk," he said with a chuckle.

Bella blushed and couldn't help but laugh with him. "Good idea. I'd hate to explain what happened if we ended up breaking it completely."

He laughed and kissed her again. "I should be going. I have a meeting with Jasper."

"Do you? So then you really didn't come by to see me," she teased.

Edward smiled at her. "How do you know I didn't make an excuse to see Jasper so I could see you?"

"Because I know you, Mr. Masen. You like your job and take it very seriously. I'm just a fringe benefit to this meeting," she said with a chuckle.

He kissed her. "It's is an added bonus that I get to spend a few stolen moments with you right now. But, I'll take anything I can get."

She smiled at him. "You better go before you're late for your meeting. I'm sure if you are Jasper is going to know where to look."

He sighed, nodded and gave her one last kiss before releasing her and walking to the door. "I'll talk to Emmett and find out if he and Rosalie can do that gallery thing this weekend."

"Thanks," she said with a small wave as he walked out the door.

)( )( )( )(

Edward returned to his office after his meeting with Jasper and was a bit annoyed. Jasper was cordial enough, but he'd been more than unhappy to find out the Senator Cullen had decided to co-sponsor a bill with Senator rather than going with the bill that Senator Volturi had been asking him to co-sponsor. He knew that the bills were similar enough that only one would pass and if he didn't find another Senator to co-sponsor Aro's bill it was all but dead.

He was sitting in his office, brooding, trying to figure out who he could call on to work with them on the bill when Emmett knocked on his door.

"How'd the meeting go over at Cullen's offices, Chief?" Emmett asked, but taking in Edward's expression he sighed. "That good, huh? Well, fuck."

Emmett came in and they both sat in silence for a while before Emmett spoke again, "Senator Meloy?"

They were both obviously trying to think of someone else who could sponsor the bill with Aro.

Edward shook his head. "He'd do it in a heartbeat. What many people don't know is that he's facing a scandal involving bribes back home that are going to hit the media stream pretty soon. He'd co-sponsor the bill in the hopes that it'll draw attention away from that. Not exactly what we're looking for."

Emmett shook his head. "How do you know all this?"

Edward just chuckled. "It's my job to know."

They discussed a few more possibilities, neither of them wanting to admit that they might have to let Senator Volturi's bill die, when Edward's office phone buzzed and he answered, "This is Masen…Yes, Senator, I'll be right there."

Edward hung up the phone and stood up, putting on his suit jacket.

"The boss?" Emmett asked.

Edward nodded. "I'm hoping he won't ask about this bill until I have a contingency plan in place." He headed for the door, but stopped, "Oh, before I forget, Bella asked if you and Rosalie would like to join us this weekend for dinner and some gallery opening or something. It's on Saturday I believe."

Emmett arched a brow. "You suggesting a double-date, Chief."

Edward chuckled and adjusted his tie. "_She_ suggested it."

"You warn her about me?" Emmett asked.

"She had met you before," Edward said with a shrug.

Emmett just laughed. "I was on my best behavior then. I'll call Rosie and let you know."

Edward nodded and head towards Senator Volturi's office, wondering what this was about. He hoped it wasn't about Alec. Edward still remembered how the Senator had reacted to the incident with Alec just a few nights ago. The Senator had been incensed until he discovered that Edward and Emmett had effectively covered up what had happened. He had asked a million questions _before_ he had even bothered to inquire as to whether or not his son had been injured. It was as if his son's well-being had been an afterthought. Edward had driven Alec to his home the next day and told the boy to call him if he needed anything.

He hadn't heard from Alec since, but he'd been meaning to check up on the boy.

Aro's secretary greeted Edward and told him to go right in. When he entered the Senator's office he noticed that Aro was on the phone and he sat down to wait, taking in the older man's appearance.

Senator Aro Volturi was one of those men that looked like he had been born in a suit. In fact, Edward had never seen him in anything else, even when he happened to meet up with the Senator on the weekends. Aro was cold, aloof, and he had this aura of power around him that suggested he was important, but at times Edward swore that his boss would have fit just as easily as the head of a crime syndicate as he did as a Senator.

When Aro finally hung up the phone Edward immediately knew that this was not going to be good as he took in the calculating gleam in his boss' eyes. Aro didn't waste any time and he got right to the point, "So what is this I hear about you dating one of Cullen's staffers?"


	24. Chapter 24

Edward sat there, taken off guard by the question. How had the Senator found out? He already knew that this couldn't be good, but he also didn't want to hide his relationship with Bella.

"I am seeing Ms. Isabella Swan, Senator Cullen's Director of Communications, socially, Senator," Edward said in response to Aro's inquiry, surprised that he could keep his tone even despite the trepidation he felt.

Senator Volturi leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers in front of him. "I see," he said with a smile that many voters had found charming over the years. Edward knew that smile, it was one of calculated deviousness, and while he had always hated seeing it, he hated even more considering the topic at hand.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Masen," Senator Volturi said with a chuckle.

Edward shifted in his seat, trying not to seem uncomfortable. "What do you mean, sir?"

"I'm sure the relationship will prove to be…fruitful is all. Fortunately, from what you've told me, the majority of Cullen's staff is wet behind the ears," Aro said with a shrug.

Edward was clenching his teeth so tightly that the muscle in his jaw was ticking. It was obvious that the Senator thought his reasons for being with Bella was to get information and Aro was oblivious to the anger radiating off of Edward.

"Well, enjoy yourself, Masen, and do of course keep me in the loop. Perhaps you can even invite this Isabella to dinner at my residence one evening," Aro continued.

"Perhaps, Senator," Edward said noncommittally. He wanted out of the office before he really lost his temper, a rare thing for him, but it never was a pretty sight and he had _never_ lost his temper with Aro.

There was no way he would ever expose Bella to an evening with the Senator, not if he could help it.

"Was there anything else you needed, sir?" Edward asked as he started to rise.

"That is all for now, please have a report on how the bill is going on my desk by the end of the day. I'd like to go over it this evening at home," the Senator said dismissively.

"Of course, Senator," Edward replied as he got up to leave.

Aro's mind had already moved on to other things and he didn't look up again as Edward left the room.

Going back to his office, Edward sat behind his desk and let his mind wander to the very brief conversation he had just had with the Senator. It had left him with an uneasy, foreboding feeling. Thus far he had been able to keep his professional life separate from his personal life when it came to his relationship with Bella; though he had a feeling she hadn't been as fortunate if judging by Jasper's reactions.

He didn't know how Senator Volturi's knowledge of the relationship was going to affect things, but it couldn't be good. He knew the Senator to be ruthless when it came to certain things, and now that the candidacy for President was on the line, well, he was pretty sure that Aro was going to use anything and everyone at his disposal to make sure that he reached the oval office.

As Edward thought more about it, he realized the he was more concerned with the ramification this would have on his relationship with Bella then he was with how it would affect him professionally.

)( )( )( )(

Bella was excited about going out. She thought that her and Edward's double-date with Rosie and Emmett was going to be fun and she was really looking forward to the exhibit they were going to. The tickets hadn't been easy to come by, but every now and again Senator Cullen gave away tickets that were readily available to him to his staff when he and Esme weren't planning on using them. Fortunately, he had offered the tickets for this particular opening to Bella.

As she moved into the living room, slipping on the sapphire stud earrings that had been a graduation present from her parents she glanced at the clock on the living room wall. Edward would be here at any time. Although she had verified the time he was picking her up earlier in the day, she really hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him all week and something just seemed…well, off.

Smoothing her hands over the fabric of the sapphire blue dress she was wearing, she made her way to the closet near the front entrance and pulled out her black coat, gloves, and scarf. As she sat and waited she wondered briefly what was bothering Edward. He had called and they had had lunch one more time during the week, but it was as if something was bothering him. When she had asked if everything was all right he had said everything was fine, and though she knew it wasn't, she figured it had to do with work so she didn't press him to tell her.

She was still lost in her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door and she hurried to answer it. Edward gave her a crooked smile as soon as she opened the door and he leaned down to give her a soft, gentle kiss before he whispered, "Hello," against her lips.

She smiled at him and whispered a soft, "Hi," back before she kissed him again. As they broke the kiss he wrapped his arms around her and hunched over so he could bury his face against her neck, taking a deep breath as he took in her scent.

"I've missed you," Edward whispered.

Bella smiled and squeezed him a bit. "I've missed you too, Edward."

Straightening up, Edward looked down at her and smiled. She looked beautiful, but then, she always did. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Bella nodded. "Just let me get my coat." Moving back inside she grabbed her coat and then smiled as he took it from her and helped her slip into it.

"You look stunning, Bella," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

She grinned at him over her shoulder. "You don't look so bad yourself, Edward."

As they left the apartment Edward told her that they would be meeting Emmett and Rosalie at a restaurant that wasn't too far from the gallery they were going to. He also explained to Bella that she shouldn't be surprised if Emmett ordered more than one dish and ate everyone's leftovers as well. Edward continued to laugh and kid about Emmett's antics on the drive. She could tell that Edward seemed more at ease this evening and she was glad for it as they held hands in the car as they made their way to the restaurant.

When they got to their destination, checked their coats, and made their way to their table, they saw that Emmett and Rosalie were already waiting for them. Emmett stood up and grinned broadly as he shook Bella's hand and kissed her cheek just before Edward held out her seat for her and helped her to sit. Rosalie greeted them with a smile.

"Please tell me you haven't let him start drinking yet," Edward said to Rosalie as he took a seat next to her.

Rosalie laughed. "Not yet. I told him if he got sloshed and I had to drive home in these heels he was going to sleep on my couch."

Emmett chuckled. "I'm behaving myself."

"Should I be worried?" Bella asked teasingly.

"Definitely," Edward, Rosalie, and even Emmett all said at almost the exact same time, causing them all to laugh.

The rest of dinner went by easily, with all members of their small party getting on well. They talked a bit about Emmett's time in the military and about one of Rosalie's crazier clients who she'd finally had to drop since he never did a thing that she asked him to do. Apparently, her advice of "the toupee must go!" and "no plaid vests" hadn't been received well.

Funny thing was they all knew who she was talking about without her having said the Congressman's name.

Bella hadn't had the chance to get to know Rosalie all that well, but she was finding that she was a smart woman with a wicked sense of humor. Emmett also put her at ease with his boisterous attitude and big smile.

At seeing how Bella got along so well with his best friend and his best friend's girlfriend, Edward relaxed more and more with each passing moment, laughing along with them and sharing stories about some of the crazier things that he and Emmett had done together, like the fly fishing trip gone wrong when Emmett had accidently kept hooking himself in the back of the head and Edward kept slipping on rocks, falling into the river and effectively scaring the fish away. When asked why they had gone fly fishing in the first place Edward said that Emmett had convinced him it was a manly thing to do. He just hadn't realized that Emmett had never done it before.

By the time that dinner was over, the whole group was laughing and teasing each other like old friends.

When Bella and Rosalie excused themselves to the powder room, Emmett looked at Edward with a knowing smile, causing Edward to arch a brow and say, "What?"

"I like her," Emmett said plainly.

Edward chuckled. "What's not to like?"

Emmett smiled. "You like her."

"If I didn't I wouldn't be going out with her, Emmett," Edward said dryly.

"I mean you _like_ like her," Emmett continued.

"Like like…are we like in jr. high," Edward asked teasingly with an arched brow.

"C'mon, Chief," Emmett said, "You know what I mean. I see the way your two are looking at each other and she's good for you."

Edward looked in the direction that Bella and Rosalie had disappeared and nodded, the slightest frown marring his lips.

"You still thinking of what the Senator said?" Emmett asked quietly.

Edward just nodded.

"Listen, Chief, you can't worry about that. Since we're out of the office and I know you won't hold it against me I have no probably telling you that we both know that Aro Volturi can be a pain in the ass" he said quietly as he leaned forward, knowing they shouldn't be overheard. "But, you're smarter than him. He's risen in the Senate because of what _you_ have done for him. If he continues to pursue the matter you're smart enough to develop a tactic to keep him at bay and stick to that tactic or develop a new one if necessary. You don't let him use this against you or against her. Got it?"

Edward just frowned and nodded.

"Don't let him manipulate you, man. It's not worth it if you lose her…I mean, if you really want her," Emmett added the last bit with a snicker, knowing that his best pal was already falling head over heels for Bella.

When the ladies got back to the table, the men helped them into their coats and they made their way towards the gallery which was less than a block away. As they drew closer, it was apparent that it was going to be a popular show and there were people milling about outside, trying to bribe their way in. There were even more than a few photographers and reporters walking around, taking note of the attendees for various publications.

Edward hadn't realized that this was such a big, exclusive event and he turned to Bella as she dug around for the tickets in her purse. "I just realized, I didn't ask what show this is. Who's the artist?"

Bella found the tickets and smiled at him. "Oh, it's a photographic exhibit. I'm sure you've heard of the photographer, he's won numerous prizes including the Pulitzer. James Hunter?"

Edward blinked a bit, surprised at hearing the name, turning pale.


	25. Chapter 25

Bella immediately noticed Edward's expression change and she frowned and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Edward, what is it? What's wrong?"

Edward just stood there a moment, feeling his heart rate increase as the blood drained from his face.

Emmett noticed and said, "Hey, man, you all right?"

Instead of answering either of them he turned to Bella and asked a question of his own, "Is the photographer actually going to be here?"

Bella gave him a strange, concerned look, and shook her head. "No, he was supposed to, but he had to go to China somewhere. I believe that he's photographing some of the conflicts."

Edward swallowed and nodded, giving Bella a tight smile.

Sensing that something was wrong, she whispered softly, "We don't have to go in if you don't want to."

Edward shook his head, took a deep breath and looked to Emmett and Rosalie who were both watching him with concern. "Shall we?" he said as he led Bella inside.

Bella was still concerned, but she nodded and gave Emmett a questioning look over her shoulder. Emmett shrugged, indicating that he didn't know what was going on and Bella turned her attention forward again as they handed over their tickets, entered the gallery, and checked their coats.

The show was nothing out of the ordinary, James Hunter's work, most of which was black and white, was displayed in gallery style frames, black with white matting. People were milling about, examining the different photos while sipping at wine and eating o 'devours. The space was filled to capacity with politicians, artists from the local area, journalists, and community members.

At first their small group of four was able to stay together, but with the crowd eventually the couples got separated and then Bella found she was alone, having been separated from Edward in the crowd of people that were clamoring to examine some of the photographs more closely.

Bella only knew a few of the photographer's works from memory. It was commonplace to see Hunter's work on the cover of magazines or newspapers throughout the world. One of her favorite photographs had actually been one he had taken at a student protest in California. He had seemed to capture the intensity of the situation while making the viewer sympathetic to the cause of the young men and women who were fighting against educational cuts in the state. And, while Hunter seemed to have a few photographs that captured that same spirit, she found as she walked around the gallery, glancing at photographs as she tried to find Edward, that the majority of the photographer's work actually made her sad and even a bit queasy.

There was no doubt that the man had an eye for attention grabbing images, but she found that the majority of what he captured on film seemed to capture agonizingly private moments that made her feel uncomfortable. Then again, she figured that this might actually be the draw to many people.

As she made her way through the maze of the gallery, pushing through some of the more crowded sections where booze and food were being served, she finally found Edward in a practically empty back room that only had a few photographs on display.

His back was to her, but she could tell that something in his posture wasn't right and walking up to his side she placed her hand on his arm, causing him to flinch as she whispered, "Edward?"

Edward didn't look at her and just continued to stare ahead; his jaw clenched tightly a look of anger on his face. Following his gaze she gasped when she saw the photograph of him standing at his parents' grave sites staring at them from just a few feet away.

She hadn't known that it was James Hunter that had taken the photograph.

When he spoke, the sadness in his voice was a stark contradiction to the anger of his expression. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "I hate that picture."

Bella felt an ache in her chest as seeing him like this and she reached up to touch his arm again and whispered, "Edward?" When he didn't respond her fingers moved to his cheek and she moved to stand in front of him, effectively drawing his attention away from the photograph as he looked down at her with pain filled eyes.

Edward let his attention be drawn away from the photograph that had caused him so much pain in his life and he let himself drown in the chocolate brown eyes that were shining with unshed tears. He hated seeing her hurt and knowing that he had been the one to put that pain in her eyes. Trying to make her feel a bit better he attempted to smile, but didn't quite succeed.

Bella tiptoed up and brushed her lips against his and he felt some of the tension that had been coursing through his body slip away.

Slipping her hand into his she started to lead him out of the room. "C'mon."

He didn't argue and let Bella take him out of the room. As they made their way through the crush of people, she never let go of his hand, not letting him be separated from her this time and it was a few moments later that they arrived at the front of the gallery. When Bella asked for their claim tickets so she could get their coats, he handed them over wordlessly and watched as she retrieved their coats. He still didn't say a word as they reached the sidewalk outside and slipped on their outerwear.

Still looking full of concern, Bella took his hand and quietly led him to a sculpture garden located off one side of the gallery. They went further into the space which displayed numerous modern works of sculpture and she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Edward, I didn't know. If I had…"

Edward shook his head and replied sadly. "It's all right, Bella. I should have known better than to go in and…seek out that photograph."

She moved to sit on a bench, tugging him down so he could sit next to her. "You knew it would be there?" she asked with a frown.

Sitting next to her, Edward nodded and shrugged. "That photograph was what won Hunter his first Pulitzer. It's what put him on the map, so to speak. Before that he was just some punk college kid with a camera who claimed he was a photographer because he thought it would get him laid more often." Edward frowned off into the darkness for a moment. "It should have never have been taken…or published."

He remembered the day of his parents' funeral quite clearly. He hadn't been able to sleep and had stayed up most of the night, staring out his bedroom window, watching as the snow fell. He'd been alone, the house quiet. Some of his father's distant cousins and his mother's elderly great aunt and uncle had offered to stay with him, but not knowing them well he had refused their offers, though he knew they were trying to be helpful.

His father's staffers had handled most of the funeral arrangements and his father's secretary had consulted him on a few matters, but after giving her the most pertinent information, such as the name of their favorite pastor at the local church, the fact that he wanted his mother's favorite flowers—sterling silver roses—placed on both his parents' caskets, and asking for a moment of privacy at the gravesite after he service, he hadn't been involved. Truth was he hadn't been able to stand looking at the tears trickling down Mrs. Copes' cheeks or watch as his parents' families, however distant, grieve at their loss.

See, Edward hadn't cried, not when the principal of his school had pulled him out of class to tell him of the accident. He hadn't cried when he had gone to the airport to watch as his the temporary metal caskets that his parents' bodies had been stored in for transport were unloaded from the cargo hold of a plane. He didn't cry in the days leading up to the funeral when he felt obligated to take the calls from various politicians that had been his father's friends as well as enemies: senators, congressmen, governors, and even the president had called to offer their condolences. He had been polite, thanked them for their words, but he had not cried.

Everyone remarked at how strong he was when the saw that he didn't shed a single tear at the church or the graveside. It was only after the graveside service was done and when everyone had been escorted out of the cemetery that he finally broke down.

As he stood there wearing his father's favorite tie and the black wool scarf that had been his mother's which still carried her scent—sentimental gestures that he didn't quite understand himself—that he finally cried.

And, James Hunter had caught it on film.

"I hate that picture," he whispered softly again into the darkness as he held Bella's hand.

Bella had sat there, watching his expression as he had become lost in his thoughts. When he finally spoke, saying that he hated the picture again, she nodded and whispered, "I can understand why."

"No, no you don't," Edward said with a sigh.

Bella felt hurt, figuring he meant that she didn't understand the pain of losing someone like that, a fact that she couldn't necessarily argue against.

"Everyone looks at that picture and they see grief. They think I'm crying because of it. I…" he shook his head and looked down at his and Bella's fingers weaved together as they held hands on the cold bench. "That moment that everyone thinks is one of despair…" He looked up at her, pain in his eyes and he whispered so softly that she could barely hear him, "I was so angry."

Bella squeezed his hand, feeling her heart clench at his words and his expression.

"I was crying because I was so angry at them both for leaving me all alone," he managed to choke out and then he looked away from her and took a deep, unsteady breath.

Bella moved to wrap her arms around him and Edward pulled her to sit across his lap, wrapping his own arms around her waist, neither of them saying anything for a while as they just held each other close.

It was Edward that finally broke the silence. "Hunter had snuck back into the cemetery even though all the other mourners had left and the media had been asked to stay away. He's a…voyeur who exploits people's pain and suffering."

Bella frowned. "If I had known I wouldn't have brought you here."

He nodded and whispered, "I know. It just…after the funeral when I saw that picture on the cover of every paper and magazine in the days and weeks following it just kept reminding me of what a bad son I was at that gravesite."

"Oh, Edward," Bella said with tears in her voice. "Your feelings were normal…understandable…you shouldn't feel that…" She wasn't even sure how to voice what she was trying to say. "I'm sure your parents knew that you loved them."

He smiled a bit sadly and nodded. "I know. It's just at that moment I felt like no one would ever love me again."

"I love you," Bella responded without thinking.

Both of them were taken aback by the enormity of what she had just said. Bella blushed as bright as a tomato and Edward eyes widened as he whispered, "Do you?"

Bella worried her lower lip and nodded. Honestly, she _was_ falling in love with Edward, but she had never meant to say those words so soon. Looking at him, he seemed to see those words as a lifeline and she didn't want to qualify what she said by telling him that.

He didn't say them back, but as his lips met hers and he kissed her like there was no tomorrow, she couldn't help but believe that he felt the same way.


	26. Chapter 26

Bella knew that what Edward had confessed to her had not been easy and she hadn't wanted to leave him alone for the night so she had invited him to stay at her place since it was closer. That night they had made love. That was the only way to describe it. The gentle touches and caresses as well as the whispered, heartfelt words they exchanged only seemed to bring them closer together. Every now and then they would sleep only to wake up again and start all over again from the beginning.

Bella couldn't help but moan and cry out in pleasure at feeling Edward's mouth and hands on her, certain that she had never felt more pleasure than she did in his arms.

For his part, Edward felt that he was whole, complete whenever he was next to Bella, inside of her. As they moved together and she whispered again in his ear that she loved him, he felt so much joy that he was sure that his heart would burst. And, though he was sure that he was falling in love with her, he couldn't say it yet. He hadn't said those words to anyone since his parents had died and he was afraid.

He couldn't exactly explain the fear and he really didn't ruminate on it, his mind on much more pleasurable things, like the way Bella's skin was so soft underneath his fingertips, the way she tasted as he made her come against his mouth, and the way she looked as she moved above him, riding him slowly until he was begging her to increase her pace. He also couldn't remember sleeping as peacefully as he did in her arms.

Bella woke up the next morning because she couldn't move. Something was pinning her down. As she became more coherent as the last remnants of sleep slipped away from her sleep fogged mind, she opened one eye and realized that the reason she couldn't move was because Edward was lying half on her. He his arm was lying across her torso and his leg was slung over hers. The only thing that she could really move was her fingers and toes. She tried to shift away but he was as heavy as an elephant.

She actually giggled a bit at her predicament since she really didn't know how she was going to get him off of her. Even when he tried to wiggle her body out from under his he gripped her more tightly, causing her to shake her head slightly and sigh. Wiggling her fingers again she felt them brush up against his side and he jerked awake with a half gasp, half giggle.

Bella laughed at seeing the sleepy, confused look on his face. He gave her a sleepy smile, closed his eyes and huskily whispered as he settled back next to her, snuggling her close, "No tickling."

"I didn't realize you were ticklish, Edward," she said with a chuckle.

His only response was a sleepy, "Hmmm," as he seemed to be falling asleep again.

Shaking her head a bit, Bella laughed and shoved at him as much as she could with her body. "Edward, I can't move."

He only let out a soft snore in response.

Bella tried getting out from under him again and when she had no success, she purposely started to tickle him this time.

Edward jerked awake again, letting out a laugh as he tried to get away, but now she was anxious to keep him close rather than get away and she continued to try to tickle him, following him as he jumped right out of the bed. When she still went after him, he ran right out of the room, stark naked.

Bella was right behind him, but before she could run completely into the living room, she heard a high pitched scream and bumped into Edward as he turned around abruptly to run back towards her bedroom. The force of it was enough to knock her onto her behind and he asked, "Are you all right!" even as he helped her up and started to drag her hurriedly back to the bedroom.

In the living room she heard Alice. "OH MY GOD! Clothes people! Clothes at ALL times in shared spaces!"

She didn't hear what else was being said as Edward slammed her bedroom door behind them.

"Alice saw my weewee!" Edward said with a bright blush.

Bella just stood there blinking a moment and then she managed to get out, "Your…weewee?"

"My penis!" he clarified.

She had known what he had meant, but she couldn't believe that the handsome, suave, and sophisticated man in front of her had referred to his cock in such a manner and she fell onto the bed laughing.

"What! It's what my mom used to say when I was a kid and would run around the house without clothes. 'Edward! Everyone's going to see your weewee!'" he said, imitating his mother's voice at the end.

Bella started to laugh even more. "You ran around the house naked?"

"I was five!" Edward said as he came to sit next to her, huffing a bit since she was laughing so much. He actually pouted, "You're laughing at me and Alice saw my wee….my penis!"

Sitting up Bella wrapped her arms around him and kissed him gently with a smile. "Sorry, love, but I'm just picturing both Alice's expression as well a little naked Edward running around being chased by his mother."

He smiled at her. "You're right on the money. I used to run around naked all over the house. Would just strip down and she would be chasing me everywhere, even when we had guests. I had this strange aversion to clothes." He kissed her, letting it linger.

"You know, an aversion to clothes doesn't sound that bad," Bella whispered against his lips after they broke the kiss. She had just started kissing him again when there was a loud knock on the door.

"Get decent! I'm going to order lunch!" Alice said through the closed door.

"Lunch?" Edward asked quietly.

Bella looked over her shoulder at the clock. "It is rather late. We must have slept later than we thought. Wonder why we were so tired," she teased.

Edward laughed and started to kiss her again as his hands started to wander, but he stopped when there was another bang on the door.

"I mean it!" Alice said. "Stop what you're doing! I'm hungry!"

Bella smiled and shook her head. "We'll be right out!"

Edward sighed, but gave her a crooked smile.

"Ready to face her?" asked Bella.

"Do I have a choice?" Edward chuckled.

Giving him a quick kiss she moved off his lap. "Nope!"

He shook his head and started to gather his clothes up off the floor. "Uh, I'll have to wear the same thing I wore last night, and it's a bit wrinkled."

Bella chuckled. "It's fine. I can't tell you how many times I've wandered out of here to find Jasper dressed in his clothes from the night before. It's about time Alice got a taste of her own medicine."

"Uh…you've seen Jasper naked?" Edward asked as he pulled on his boxer briefs.

She laughed as she put on her panties. "No. Thank God for that!"

Edward was still getting dressed as he asked, "Uh, I had heard rumors…before you and I started going out…um, that you and Jasper…"

She looked over at him as she continued to get dressed. "That we were dating?"

He frowned a bit and nodded.

Bella smiled at him. "None of them were true."

"Oh," Edward said, feeling relieved.

Shaking her head, Bella went up to him and hugged him, giving him a soft kiss. "People make assumptions." She sighed. "Jasper felt that we should just let the rumors fly. He doesn't want his relationship with Alice to be public knowledge yet due to what people will think about his reputation."

Edward frowned. "He asked you to do that?"

"Not specifically," Bella said with a shrug.

"He shouldn't have asked that of you, Bella," Edward said with a shake of his head.

"I know, but I'm as much to blame for going along with it," Bella replied.

Edward shook his head and frowned. He was about to say something when Bella touched his lips gently and stopped him.

"That's over now, love. Alice isn't going to put up with Jasper's behavior anymore and neither am I," she said with a soft smile.

He nodded and kissed her gently. "All right. I'm glad."

She smiled. "I'm with you, Edward."

Grinning he kissed her again, though he sighed when he felt her pull away.

"We better get out there before Alice comes barging in here again," she said with a chuckled.

They both finished getting dressed and went out to the living room, Edward immediately blushing when he saw Alice who was going through take out menus on the couch.

"Seriously, you two!" Alice said with a huff as she looked up from the menus in her hands. "No more running around naked in the living room. Naked time is for the bedroom."

Bella rolled her eyes as she noticed Alice snickering as she looked back down at the menus. "You weren't supposed to be home for another week, Alice," she said as she plopped onto the couch, snuggling up to Edward as he sat down next to her.

Alice shrugged. "Alistair didn't need my help anymore."

Bella knew it was more than that, but she didn't push the subject since Alice probably wasn't going to open up too much in front of Edward.

"So, what do you guys want to eat?" Alice asked, looking up at them.

They finally agreed on ordering pizza and pasta from a small Italian place. As they waited for the food Alice talked a bit about New York and Bella and Edward told her a bit about their dinner with Rosalie and Emmett, neither of them bringing up the gallery exhibit.

By the time the food came, the three of them were laughing as Alice shared some of her college escapades with Rosalie and Edward talked about some of the crazy things that Emmett had done since Edward had gotten to know him. They all agreed that Rosalie and Emmett made a perfect couple.

After the meal was over and both women had insisted that they would clean up, Edward kissed Bella good bye, saying he had some work to do and promising to call her that evening.

While they were cleaning up the kitchen Bella looked at Alice and asked softly, "You want to talk about it?" She could tell Alice had enjoyed their meal, but even then she hadn't been her usual jovial self.

"Not yet," Alice said with a bit of a smile.

Bella nodded, respecting her wishes.

"I'm seeing him later tonight and, well, we'll see how that goes. I'll probably want to talk about it afterwards," Alice added.

"Okay," Bella said as she stuck the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

"So, you and Edward are doing well," Alice said with a wink and a grin.

Bella blushed, but smiled. "Very well."

Alice laughed, "Yes, well, that was rather obvious when I saw him run into the living room and saw…"

"His weewee," Bella finished for her.

Alice blinked. "Bella!"

"What?" Bella replied, laughing.

"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't use the word 'wee' to describe what I saw!" Alice replied, making Bella blush and sending both of them into peals of laughter.


	27. Chapter 27

Edward sat at home, barely able to concentrate on the brief that lay open on the desk in front of him as his mind kept wandering to Bella.

He found himself opening up to her more and more, last night's incident in the gallery and their subsequent conversation in the sculpture garden being a prime example of that. He had never spoken about that picture and how it made him feel every time he saw it, much less how he had been feeling at the moment the photograph was taken.

When he'd found out that the exhibit they were seeing was comprised of James Hunter's photographs, he had nearly turned tail and run in the other direction. It hadn't been easy to go into the gallery, but the fact that Hunter had not been in attendance had made it easier.

He hadn't told Bella everything about that photograph.

Edward had been standing there, sobbing over his parents' coffins, feeling his chest heaving with anger at them for leaving him, when the clicking of Hunter's camera had penetrated his grief stricken mind. He had let his hand fall away from his face and saw Hunter standing across from him, snapping away. His feelings shifted away from anger at that moment. At first he felt confused and hurt that anyone would intrude on such a private moment.

Hunter had continued to take pictures even as Edward looked at him with tears streaming down his face. Then the photographer had slowly put down his camera, smirked a bit, and shrugged before he turned and walked away without saying a word.

Edward had stayed, standing there in the cold until someone had come along and led him away from the gravesite. He couldn't even remember who it was that had done so.

He had still been so grief stricken when the photograph appeared on countless newspaper and magazine covers the next several days that he really didn't care, but as he slowly started to recover from the grief of his loss, the picture seemed to be staring at him at every turn.

Several years later he found out more about James Hunter. Before the publication of Edward's picture at his parents' gravesides, the man had been nothing more than a photographer that took freelance work for local catalogs and ad campaigns. He had had one or two things published by the AP, but they were unspectacular photographs. Apparently he had gotten into photography in college since he thought it was a good way to find women.

After Hunter had been awarded a Pulitzer for the picture, he had remained a freelance news photographer, but he got funding from different news organizations to cover various newsworthy events. Edward had seen some of his photographs over the years and he always found them to be voyeuristic in nature, whether it was his own photograph, the photographs that were taken during the famines in Africa which showed hungry, starving people, or the photographs Hunter had taken in the Middle East of dying soldiers.

He really did hate the majority of the man's photographs.

Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate enough to get through the brief, Edward closed it and with a sigh he walked to the fridge to get a beer. He was just about to turn on the television when his Blackberry rang and he picked it up without checking the caller ID. "This is Masen."

"Chief," he heard Emmett say, "it's Emmett."

"What's up?" Edward asked.

"Uh…what's up with you?" Emmett asked cautiously.

Edward knew that voice, something was wrong. "What's going on, Emmett?" He knew there was already an edge to his voice.

"What makes you think something is going on?" Emmett asked, obviously trying to avoid whatever it was he had called Edward about.

Edward ran his hand over his face and frowned. "Just tell me, Emmett. Did the Senator call you? Is it Alec?"

"Oh, no, man. Nothing like that," Emmett said quickly.

Edward let out a sigh of relief. "Well, something's obviously going on."

"Have you read the paper?" Emmett asked hesitantly.

"The Post? Yes, of course," Edward said. He read the paper every day. It was necessary to get information.

"The whole paper, Edward?" Emmett asked.

"What am I supposed to have seen that I obviously didn't?" Edward asked, trying not to get annoyed.

"Did you read the Magazine?"

"You mean the section with dating advice and entertainment news? Why would I do that?" Edward asked, confused. "Come to think of it, why are _you_ reading that section…" he started to joke, but then he heard Emmett sigh.

"Rosie was the one that called and gave me a heads up. Small blurb fifth page in, right hand side," Emmett said.

Frowning Edward got up and grabbed the paper off the coffee table, looking for the section Emmett indicated. It took him a while to find it and flip to the right page, but then seeing it, he whispered, "Oh fuck."

)( )( )( )(

Bella was in the kitchen making a sandwich while Alice got ready for her date with Jasper. The day had been a lazy one. She'd watched some of the news shows and had read through some emails, but other than that she and Alice had mostly hung out, talking and trying on clothes that Alice had brought back with her from New York. Alice had brought Bella several articles of clothing from Alistair's line and though Bella had tried to refuse, Alice had insisted she keep them.

As she looked at the clock on the microwave and noticed the time, Bella called out, "Alice! You should get going soon if you're going to meet Jasper!"

Alice came out of to the common area of the apartment dressed in a pretty, but simple blue dress. "I'm ready. Besides, I have time. I'm not meeting him for over an hour."

As Bella walked to the living room with her sandwich and a bottle of water she smiled at Alice. "You look nice."

Alice sat down on the chair located across the couch from Bella and slipped on her strappy heels. "Thank you. I just hope tonight goes well."

"Me too, Alice." Bella frowned a bit. "Alice, I'm not taking sides or anything in this, but you should probably know that, well, he's been kinda miserable without you."

Alice paused in her effort to get the strap to her heels fastened and looked at Bella with a sigh. "I know. He kept calling and leaving messages. Said we really needed to talk and he wanted to make things right and explain things." Alice sighed and continued trying to strap on her shoe.

"So you're meeting him at the restaurant?" Bella asked as she sipped at her water.

"Yeah, I didn't want him to have to drop me off if things didn't go well, you know?" Alice said with a frown.

Bella nodded, completely understanding.

She had just taken a bit of her sandwich and Alice had finished strapping on her shoes when there was a knock on the door.

Both women looked at each other in confusion. "Were you expecting Edward to come back tonight?" Alice asked.

Bella shook her head and got up after wiping her lips with a napkin. "I'll see who it is."

Looking through the peephole in the door, Bella was surprised to see Jasper standing there and as she moved to unlock it, she said, "It's Jasper."

Alice looked surprised and watched as Jasper came into the apartment, scowling.

"Did you see this?" Jasper asked, waving around a magazine or something in his hand.

"See what?" Alice asked, glancing at Bella a moment before turning her wide eyes to Jasper again.

Jasper didn't even look at Alice and looked to Bella. "Did _you_ see this?" He thrust the paper towards her.

Bella blinked and took the paper from him and looked over the page he had it open to, not exactly sure what she was looking for.

"Jasper, what's going on?" Alice asked.

Bella's eyes finally found what she assumed Jasper was telling her to look for, a small blurb on the left hand side of the page:

_Is one of D.C.'s (and the country's) most eligible bachelors off the market? Several eye witnesses report seeing none other than Edward Masen, Jr., Chief of Staff to Senator Aro Volturi and heir apparent to the Masen political dynasty, being very affectionate with Isabella Swan, Director of Communications to none other than Senator Carlisle Cullen. Ms. Swan, lately rumored to be dating Jasper Hale, her boss/Chief of Staff for Senator Cullen seemed enamored with Mr. Masen, or is she just playing the role to gain information? After all, it is expected that both Senators will be seeking their party's nomination for President. An announcement is even expected from Senator Cullen's office this week and it seems that political strategy for Senator Cullen's team extends into bedroom antics._

Jasper hadn't answered Alice and just watched Bella as she reddened as she read the article. Alice looked on with a worried expression and when she was done she asked, "What is it?" Before Bella could answer Alice took the paper from her and started to read.

"I knew that this was going to fucking happen!" Jasper said loudly enough to cause both Bella and Alice to jump.

"Jasper…" Bella started.

"No, Isabella, there's nothing you can say. Didn't I say this was a bad idea? Do you realize how that makes the Senator look? How it makes _me_ look?" Jasper said angrily.

Bella was getting angry now, but it was Alice that spoke up, "How it makes _you_ look? Did you actually just go there, Jasper Whitlock?"

Jasper turned his glare to Alice, but before he could say anything Alice continued, "She was only rumored to be dating you because that's what you wanted!"

"Alice, this has nothing to do with that…" Jasper started.

"Of course it does! If you had been honest in the first place about our relationship and not been embarrassed by it this could have never been printed!" Alice screamed.

Bella was about to say something, but couldn't get a word in edgewise as the argument between Alice and Jasper continued.

"You think I give a fuck about them saying that I dated her? I don't care about that! I care that it makes us, your father and I, look like unscrupulous fools!" Jasper replied.

"And, they make Bella look like a whore and that's completely your fault!" Alice countered.

Bella had had enough and she knew that the argument wasn't going to end anytime soon. Leaving the living room she made her way to her bedroom, closed the door, and turned on some music, trying to drown out the shouting voices from the living room.

She sat there, her heart pounding and her faced flushed. She knew that the world of politics was cutthroat, but she didn't realize that simply dating Edward, someone she wanted to be with because of who he was inside, not because of his position in the political arena or society, could be detrimental to her career. Jasper was her friend, but he was also her boss, and he was very unhappy about her relationship.

Bella had to wonder if she was going to lose her job, and though she had no doubts that Edward was worth it – she did love him after all – she had to wonder what was going to become of her if this led to her being fired. Protecting a candidate's reputation was top priority in any campaign.

She was still pondering on these things when she felt her cellphone buzz in her pocket and seeing Edward's name she hesitated before answering, "Hello?"

"Bella! Have you read the paper?" Edward asked in a worried tone.

"I…Jasper brought it over," she said hesitantly.

"Fuck a duck," he said, borrowing one of Emmett's more unusual sayings. It even made Bella smile a bit, though of course he couldn't see it. "He was upset, wasn't he?"

"He is, yes," Bella replied.

"Is? You mean he's still there?" Edward asked, surprised.

Bella sighed. "He and Alice are, um, were discussing it in the living room, I believe their…heated conversation has moved on to other things."

"I see," he said quietly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm a bit…upset," Bella said honestly.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he said with a sigh.

Bella smiled slightly. "I'm not upset at you, Edward."

"Oh…well, I'm still sorry you're upset. I'm going to get to the bottom of this, you know?" he stated.

Bella frowned. "Shouldn't we just leave it be?"

"No," he said gently, "we shouldn't. No one has the right to question your reputation like that just for being with me."

She had to blink back tears at his words and she whispered, "Thank you, Edward."


	28. Chapter 28

Edward was at the office at his usual ridiculously early hour the morning after the blurb had appeared in the paper. To say that he was unhappy would have been an understatement. He had been calm on the phone with Bella, but only because he had wanted to ease her own anxiety and fears. He didn't like the fact that someone was trying to make his personal life news, but what he liked even less was the how they had portrayed Bella.

After talking to her for a while, assuring her that everything was going to be all right, though he wasn't sure of that himself, he had called Emmett back and asked him to do a bit of digging into the author of the blurb. He'd never heard of Victoria Dodge and when he'd done a brief search online all he could find out was that she had only recently started working for the Post. Other than that he couldn't find her name listed anywhere. He just had to trust that Emmett would find some further information.

As the rest of the morning went by he got caught up in his work, though in the back of his mind he did remember that he and Bella were supposed to meet for lunch if they were both able to. Edward was trying to get as much work done as possible before then so he could spend some time with her.

Emmett came in late in the morning and knocked on his door, causing Edward to look up.

"You got a minute, Chief," Emmett said with a frown.

If Emmett was frowning, Edward figured that this wasn't going to be good.

"Sure, come in," Edward motioned to the sitting area in the corner of his office. "I take it you found out something."

Emmett settled in his seat. "Well, sorta. Rosie is the one that really looked into things for me after I couldn't find out crap about this Victoria Dodge. I mean it was like she appeared out of thin air there at the Post."

"I couldn't find any references to her online myself," Edward admitted.

Emmett nodded. "The staff there at the Post was also pretty tight lipped about her."

"So," Edward said with a frown, "what'd Rosalie find out about her?"

"Well, this is the interesting part. It seems that someone major must have pulled some strings for Ms. Dodge to get her job at the Post. Dodge isn't even her real last name. She apparently used to work under the name Victoria Price for Big Apple Magazine in New York…"

Edward interrupted him with a frown, "That's a rag that's filled with nothing but gossip, isn't it?"

"Yeah, not really the most reputable publication," Emmett sighed. "Thing is that she apparently got in some trouble there due to some things she was writing. Unreliable sources, half-truths, that sort of thing."

"Like the blurb that was in the Post this weekend," Edward said with a frown.

Emmett nodded. "Exactly."

"How'd she manage to get in with the Post then? They're careful about who they let in," Edward said with a frown.

"That's a good question and one I don't have the answer to," Emmett said. "We were lucky enough that Rosie was able to get the information that she could. She had to call in a couple of favors."

Edward sighed, "Well, tell her I owe her."

Emmett chuckled a bit, "Trust me, she'll hold you to it."

)( )( )( )(

Bella had been working all morning on finalizing Carlisle's speech announcing his intention to run for his party's ticket for President. She was finding it a bit hard to concentrate though, not having gotten a good night's sleep the previous evening.

Alice and Jasper had continued arguing for a while, they're screaming growing steadily louder till Bella couldn't drown out their words with the music she was playing in her room. At that point she could only be grateful that they weren't arguing about her anymore. She actually thought about escaping to Edward's place. She was sure she would be welcome, but the only thing holding her back from leaving was having to face Jasper and Alice on her way out of the apartment. So, she stayed trapped in her room, wondering if the fight was ever going to end.

It had been over an hour before the voices had died down and thinking that the fight had been over she opened the door to her room a crack only to hear Jasper's voice. He was actually crying and begging, "Please…please, Alice. Don't...don't do this."

In all the years she had known Jasper, Bella had never heard him sound like that and despite his horrible behavior towards her, her heart broke for him.

Alice had answered, her own voice choked up with tears, "No, Jasper. I can't do this anymore."

And, despite the fact that Alice sounded so sad, there was conviction to her words and Bella knew that it was over between her and Jasper.

She felt bad for both of them. She knew that they loved each other, but sometimes she supposed love wasn't enough.

When she was sure Jasper had left, she went to check on Alice, but Alice hadn't been in the mood to talk so she had left her alone.

Jasper hadn't come to pick her up the following morning so she had taken the subway to work, assuming that if he was going to fire her over the blurb in the paper that he was going to have to say it outright, to her face.

She made her way to her office, actually getting there before anyone and had tried to concentrate on her work, but it was of no use.

Jasper hadn't come into her office at all so she wasn't even sure if he had come in today. She was just waiting for Edward to call and tell her he was on his way to pick her up from lunch when the phone on her desk rang.

"Bella Swan," she said as she put the receiver to her ear.

"Bella, it's Carlisle. I was wondering if you could have lunch with me today."

Bella blinked, obviously surprised. To her recollection, Carlisle had never asked her to lunch. Sure, they'd eaten meals together, but usually it was when Jasper asked her to join them for a working lunch or she was eating with him and his family like dinner the other week when she'd taken Edward along.

"Oh, yes, Senator. Of course," she finally managed to get out.

"Good. I'll pick you up at your office in half an hour," Carlisle said. "See you in a bit."

"Yes, sir," Bella managed to say before he hung up the phone. She stood there staring at the phone in her hand for a while, wondering what all this was about. Was he going to fire her? She knew that Carlisle wasn't the type to make rash decisions, but he trusted Jasper's judgment and she didn't doubt that he could convince the Senator to do whatever he thought was in Carlisle best interest.

Finally hanging up the phone she picked up her cell phone and called Edward. He picked up after two rings.

"Hello, beautiful," he said. "Where did you want to have lunch?"

Bella sighed, "Actually, I can't make it."

There was concern in his voice as he answered, "Is everything all right?"

"Honestly, I don't know," she said with a frown. "Senator Cullen asked me to have lunch with him."

"Is that unusual?" Edward asked.

"Very," she said.

"Does this have to do with the newspaper article?" he asked.

"I don't know, Edward. Jasper was so upset last night. He's never been that way with me."

Edward responded, sounding upset, "It's not your fault though."

"I know, but…" she didn't get to finish as he interrupted her.

"Listen, Bella. Just play it cool. Jasper seems like a bit of a hothead, but the Senator seems like a good, level headed man. He'll know it's not your fault. Tell him that the person that wrote that blurb is known for stirring up trouble and writing trash."

"You found out about her?" Bella asked, her interest piqued.

"Yes, I was hoping to tell you over lunch. Listen, call me after your lunch with the Senator and let me know how it goes. Can you meet up for dinner?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm a bit worried about Alice. I'm pretty sure she broke up with Jasper last night, but I'll find out before I call and let you know," she said in response. "I'm really sorry, Edward."

"I understand, Bella," he said in response. "It's all right. Just let me know. If we can't get together tonight there's always tomorrow."

She smiled. "You are…wonderful, you know that?"

He chuckled softly. "Am I?"

"Very," she said in response.

"Why, thank you, Ms. Swan."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Masen."

"Care to show me how wonderful you think I am?" he said mischievously.

She laughed. "I think I can do that."

"Good. I'll let you go so you can go to lunch," Edward said. "Call me and let me know what happened."

"I will," she said.

"Talk to you soon, dearest." And, with that, he hung up the phone worried.

The lines between their business and personal lives were becoming less and less defined, but at this point he was caring less and less.


	29. Chapter 29

Bella should have known that Carlisle was not the type to take her to a posh restaurant. Sure, he ate at the five star bistros and other fine dining establishments that were preferred by many of the members of Congress, but usually he was more of an "order me a sandwich and a pickle" kind of guy. So she wasn't surprised when Carlisle had led her out of her office and walked to a street vendor not too far from the Capital building and ordered them both a couple of hotdogs.

They sat on a bench in a nearby park and ate quietly, enjoying the fact that the weather was turning warm enough for them to sit outside and eat. For the most part there had been silence between them and it wasn't till they were halfway done with their hotdogs that Carlisle finally spoke.

"You doing all right?" Carlisle asked as they both watched tourists and others milling around the park.

Bella looked at him from the corner of her eye and nodded. "I'm doing all right."

He nodded and took another bite of his hotdog. "Good."

They were silent for a while.

"Are you asking because of what came out in the paper this weekend, sir?" Bella finally asked.

"Hmm, I suppose there's that, but I'm more concerned about how Jasper's been treating you as a result of it."

Bella worried her lower lip and was almost afraid to say anything. It was true that Jasper had been acting, well, like a bit of an ass, but she knew that he was stressed due to his relationship with Alice going down the toilet and the upcoming announcement Carlisle was making. The sad thing was she felt like she was losing a friend.

"Jasper is under a lot of pressure, Senator," Bella said in response.

"Not exactly the response I was looking for," he said, turning to her with a bit of a smile. He shook his head and sighed. "I know what kind of pressure Jasper is under. The pressure we're all under really." He crumpled up the napkin he'd been using along with the wrapper that his hotdog had come in and tossed it in a nearby trashcan. "Politics is a dirty world, Bella. Jasper knows that. To try and control every single thing around you when chaos reigns is impossible and it usually only causes more problems. Our opponents are going to come at us from all directions and try to get at us however they can. This…this is nothing, and I think Jasper knows that, but with you, well, he has something…someone that he can react to. He can't really lash out at other potential candidates, the media…me."

Bella sighed and responded with a bit of a sad smile, "So you're saying that I'm an easy target."

Carlisle laughed. "Something like that."

She nodded and frowned. "What do you suggest I do then, Senator?"

"You keep doing your work. Jasper will learn to deal with everything," Carlisle said. He didn't mention the fact that he had spoken to Jasper. He wouldn't have done so if Jasper hadn't approached him about scaling back Bella's duties, but she didn't need to know that.

"By everything you mean my relationship with Edward?" Bella asked.

"That and what the media might have to say about it. You're entitled to a personal life, well, as personal as one's life can get when you work in D.C. politics. I don't get involved in the personal life of my staffers, or at least I try not to. Sometimes I suppose it can't be helped."

He frowned a bit and Bella couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about Jasper and Alice's relationship. Bella just nodded and decided not to comment.

"Well, we should head back. Did you want another hotdog?" he asked as he stood up.

Bella smiled and shook her head. "Oh, no thank you."

"Sorry for the less than formal lunch," Carlisle said, "but I so rarely get to eat something like that. It's a real treat. Uh, just don't tell Alice or Esme."

Bella chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me, Senator."

He smiled at her and they made their way back to the office.

)( )( )( )(

When she got back to her office, Bella was about to call Edward when Jasper knocked on the door. He looked horrible, as if he hadn't been sleeping well.

Bella gave him a wary look. "Jasper."

"Bella," he replied, nodding as he came into the room. "May I have a seat?"

She nodded and watched as she sat across the desk from her.

"How is the speech coming along?" he asked.

Bella glanced briefly at her computer screen. "I'm hoping to have a rough draft ready for you by the end of the day. Has the Senator decided where and when he's making the announcement?"

"I wanted to discuss that with you, but so far it looks like he wants to make it this week in California. You'll be going on the trip of course," he said in an offhanded manner.

"Oh, I wasn't sure," Bella said somewhat surprised.

Jasper nodded. "We'll need you to deal with the press and there are a couple of smaller fundraisers that we'll have to attend. I was thinking that we should make the announcement on Wednesday, catch the midweek news cycle."

"Not a bad idea. Perhaps Monday would be better so we have the whole week on the news cycle. A lot tends to get lost on the weekend news. People aren't as interested. Do we know if anyone else is making an announcement next week?" Bella asked.

For a moment, Jasper pondered a snide remark about Bella's relationship with Edward and her knowledge of Senator Volturi's doings and Bella half expected to say something about it when she noticed the expression on his face, but then he jut sighed and shook his head.

"Not to my knowledge," he said with a shrug.

"Then I'd say we're good to go," Bella replied with a bit of a smile.

He nodded. "So we wait till Monday then? The fundraisers can be easily moved. They're small after all."

"When do we leave?" she asked.

"Sunday most likely," he said. "Unless the Senator and his family ask you to accompany them on Friday or Saturday. They usually like to go a couple of days ahead."

She nodded and noticed he didn't include himself in those plans.

"I'll be heading out commercial on Friday evening to start getting things ready. You can join me then if you'd prefer," he said with a shrug.

"I'll let you know," Bella replied. She needed to talk to Alice and figure things out.

He nodded and moved to stand. "We'll need the speech as soon as possible and then we'll need to work on some press releases. You'll have to contact the networks to see if we can get any time on the shows…"

"I know what to do, Jasper," she said.

He nodded and turned to go.

"Jasper," she said, stopping him. When he turned around to look at her, she asked, "Are you all right?"

He shrugged and managed to give her a sad smile. Then he turned and left without another word.


	30. Chapter 30

Bella smiled as she felt Edward's finger slowly trail up and down her spine as she lay on her stomach on the bed next to him. He was lying on his side, propping his head up with one hand, watching her as she lay there with her eyes closed.

"How long will you be in California?" he asked as he leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder.

"Mmm, no more than a week," she replied softly, shivering as she felt his warm breath across the cool skin between her shoulder blades.

"So long?" he said with a sigh.

She chuckled huskily and shifted away from him so she could lie on her side and look at him. "A week is not that long."

"A week without you will seem like forever," he said in response as he his eyes trailed over her.

Edward didn't think she had ever looked sexier. She was laying there in his bed, her long dark locks in disarray, her lips swollen from his kisses, the bed sheet arranged so that he caught tantalizing glimpses while keeping what he considered some of the best bits hidden. An artist couldn't have draped her in a more sexy fashion. The way that her pale skin stood out again the charcoal grey sheets only made him want to reach out and run his hands along his iridescent skin.

As it was he hadn't been able to keep his hands off of her since they had left the Capital several hours earlier. They had planned to go to dinner, but instead they found themselves at his place, clothes being shed the moment that they were through the door.

At his words, Bella smiled and reached out to rest her hand against his jaw, her thumb lightly caressing his cheekbone before she leaned in to kiss him. "I take it you'll miss me then?" she said as she broke the kiss.

In response he chuckled and kissed her again, deepening the kiss as he parted her lips with his tongue. When he finally broke the kiss they were both breathless and he throatily replied, "Let me show you how much I'll miss you." And, with that another round of lovemaking started.

In the short time that they had been together, Bella and Edward had gotten to know each other intimately. As his lips trailed to the crook of her neck and he bared his teeth to nibble lightly at her skin he knew that it would make her shiver, just as she knew that her nails lightly scraping up his back would make him moan.

When they had first gotten to Edward's apartment they had been eager to shed clothes and be with each other in bed, now their lovemaking was slow, gentle, and loving. And, though they knew where to caress, lick, nibble, and taste, it was like they couldn't get enough of exploring each other.

As Edward's lips trailed along Bella's silky skin, shedding her of the sheet that had been so enticingly wrapped around her frame moments before, her own hands wandered, touching him in as many places as she could reach. He barely stopped long enough to sip on a condom and then they both let out sighs of pleasure and relief as they joined together once again. They were still a moment, just kissing slowly, before Edward started to move, causing Bella to groan into the kiss.

They moved in perfect rhythm with each other and were so in tune that with the slightest pressure of her thighs, Edward understood what she wanted and shifted their position so she was now sitting over him, straddling him, propping herself up with her hands on his chest as she moved on him.

Just when he thought she couldn't look more beautiful, he decided that the sight of her moving over him, her head thrown back in pleasure, her stunning breasts moving as she did, her lips parted with moans and cries of pleasure, was the most glorious thing that he had ever seen. It didn't take long for her to increase the pace of her movements and he willingly kept up, obliging her by lifting up his hips to press himself deeply within her.

As Bella felt him pressing into her and felt one of his hands trail to her hip while the other moved to cup her breast, his thumb trailing along her already taunt nipple, she whimpered and bit her lower lip, already close to coming. Making love to Edward was incredible and she hadn't known that it was possible to find so much pleasure in another person's arms. She knew that a good part of the ecstasy she found was due to his skills at handling her body, but she also knew that a large part of the passion they felt in each other's arms had to do with the way that they connected, body, mind, heart, and soul.

When Bella cried out and shivered as she came, Edward groaned and his whole body arched up towards hers as he tried to press as deeply into her as he could. As she continued to come he changed their positions yet again so that her body was under his and he thrust into her with wild abandon, as if he were trying to join their very souls rather than just their bodies.

Bella had just come down from one climax when she felt the other starting again as she wrapped her arms and legs around her Edward, crying out his name as he started to push her over the brink again.

Edward felt Bella's body contracting around him in another climax as he came, his own hoarse cry mingling with her own as he tensed above her, coming at the same time she did.

His body seemed to melt then and he let his body sink against hers for a moment as he panted for breath. Just as he was about to move to relieve her body of his weight, she wrapped her arms and legs more tightly around him and she whispered breathlessly, "Don't move."

He didn't have the strength to do more than nod and bury his face against her neck as he felt his heart pounding against his chest, sure that he could feel her own heart racing against his.

Bella lay there, just holding him, wondering if things could get more perfect. She ran her fingers through his hair, now damp with sweat and she moved her lips to his ear and whispered softly, "I love you."

He lifted his head from the crook of her neck then and looked down at her, his green eyes filled with adoration, but she also noticed a hint of fear there. Before she could remark on it he lowered his head and moved his lips against hers in a soft, gentle, loving kiss.

She knew that he wasn't ready to say that he loved her, and she really wasn't sure if he did or not, but she did hope. It was then she realized that things could be more perfect…he could love her back.

Later that evening as Bella lay sleeping against him Edward ran his fingers in a light, gentle caress along her arm. He stared at the ceiling, and even as he reveled in the feeling of her warm bare skin against his own, the weight of her arm across his stomach and the tickle of her breath against his chest as she used his torso as a pillow, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to her words.

She loved him.

She'd said it plenty of times now and each time she did he felt his happier than he had in such a long time. Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy, but at the same time he also couldn't remember the last time he felt so much fear.

Love left people vulnerable. He knew this from experience. All he had to do was think of his parents to see this. He had loved them and losing them had been the most hurtful thing that he had ever gone through.

Edward already knew that he was making himself vulnerable as he slowly opened himself up to Bella. Already he felt an ache at the thought of losing her, but he still couldn't say those three little words.

The thing was, he did think them. He just hoped that one day he was brave enough to voice how he was starting to feel about her.

Bella was already integrating herself into every aspect of his life. He usually thought about her first thing in the morning, whether she was with him or not, and throughout the workday he found himself thinking of her, wondering when he would talk to her or see her next.

It frustrated the hell out of him that Senator Volturi still was under the impression that he was using Bella as a political tool. And, every time that the Senator had mentioned Bella's name it had been like listening to someone drag their nails across a chalkboard. He had told the Senator that his relationship with Bella was his own personal business, but Volturi hadn't seemed to listen.

He was pondering how he should handle the Senator when Bella stirred against him, whispering his name in her sleep with a sigh and a smile. Seeing her like that, he couldn't help but smile in return and he lifted his head enough to kiss the top of her head.

No, he didn't know how he was going to handle things with Senator Volturi. He had no doubt that the man would be fishing for the information he'd supposedly been getting from Bella soon and while he had no clue as to what he would say, he knew one thing for sure: He was going to keep Bella Swan in his life no matter what the cost.

* * *

**A/N: **

Mostly citrus this chapter, but hey, that happens sometimes. Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I'm trying to get back in the groove of things after some stuff going on in real life.

Please continue to read, review, and recommend!


	31. Chapter 31

Bella stepped off the plane behind Carlisle, Esme, and Alice. She only half listened as Alice went on and on about the dresses that she had found for Bella to wear to some gala that they were attending in a few weeks.

"I definitely think that you should wear the green one that I found at that vintage shop! We'll do the whole smoky eye bit. Of course we're going to have to find you some shoes," Alice droned on. Bella merely responded with a, "Hmm…"

At this point Alice realized that Bella wasn't even listening and she smiled a bit, "You haven't heard a word I've said since the pilot announced we were beginning our descent, did you?"

Bella blushed and shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "Sorry, Alice. I guess my mind is on other things."

Alice hooked her arm through Bella's as they walked behind her parents to the waiting limo. "And, would your mind happen to be on the very handsome, not so wee, Mr. Cullen?"

"Alice!" Bella admonished, but she couldn't help but blush and giggle.

Alice just giggled in response and squeezed Bella's arm. "It's good to see you happy, Bella. Now, are you coming with me to our place or are we dropping you off at his?" Bella worried her lower lip, not sure of what to do. It was late in the evening and she figured that Edward would be home, but she also didn't want to impose and show up without fair warning.

"Well, it wouldn't look good if anyone caught wind of the fact that Senator Cullen, presidential candidate, was seen coming and going from a potential rival's chief-of-staff's home," Bella replied. Alice opened her mouth to say something, but Bella stopped her and continued, "I know he wouldn't care, but I do. Things are a bit different now that he's officially running."

It was something that Bella had thought about a lot in the last week. Sure, they had been preparing for a presidential campaign for a while, but now that it was official and things were kicking into high gear, things were definitely a lot different. As Carlisle's press secretary, the media was inundating her with requests, and it wasn't just about the Senator, they wanted to know about the staff too. It also wasn't lost on her that since they interacted with her so often added to the fact that they knew about her and Edward dating, that they were _very_ interested in her personal life. If it was of interest to the press now, it would only garner more attention whenever Senator Volturi decided to throw his hat into the ring, and rumor had it that that would happen any day now.

She wasn't naïve enough to think that this whole situation wouldn't affect her relationship with Edward, she only hoped that they could weather the storm. As she slipped into the waiting car behind Alice she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and taking it out she smiled as she saw it was a message from Edward asking if she had arrived yet.

She sent him a quick message back and it wasn't two seconds later before the phone rang. Alice was glancing at her and smiling while the Senator and Esme sat across from them talking.

"Hello?"

Bella couldn't help but smile as Edward's voice answered her. "Hello, darling. So you're back in the wonderful DC area?"

"Yes, well, we're actually pulling out of the airport now," she replied.

Edward was silent for a moment and then he asked, "Can I see you tonight? I've missed you."

His words warmed her heart. She had been very busy while in California, but they had still found the time to talk, but not once had he said that he missed her.

"I'm actually going to be dropped off with Alice at our place," she replied. She heard him sigh on the other end of the line and quickly added, "But, I'd love to see you."

"Do you want me to pick you up?" he replied quickly.

"That'd be nice. I should be home in about a half hour or so," Bella said, a smile evident in her voice.

"I'll be there in 45 minutes. See you soon," and with that he hung up the phone.

)( )( )( )(

He was actually there sooner.

Edward had considered simply driving around for a while so he wouldn't seem overly anxious and they wouldn't see him there waiting by his car when they arrived, but the truth of the matter was that he _was_ overly anxious. He hadn't liked spending this past week without Bella.

Despite the fact that he had been run ragged at work preparing for Senator Volutri's announcement regarding his running for the party's ticket for president, as well as dealing with the fallout from Senator Cullen having announced his candidacy for president first, he had thought about Bella a lot, though he had made sure not to bring up her name at the office.

That hadn't stopped the Senator from asking about her though. It bothered Edward that Aro was pushing for him to stay in the relationship. He had hinted at the fact that Edward could use their relationship to get insider information that might give them a leg up during the campaign. This bothered Edward to no end and left him with an unsettling feeling in his chest.

He was pondering on this feeling, not being able to shake the fact that something would go wrong, when Senator Cullen's car pulled to the front of the apartment building right behind Edward's car. Pushing away from the car Edward walked over just as Alice was getting out, followed by Bella and the Senator, who was insisting on helping the girls with their luggage.

"Edward!" Bella exclaimed, obviously happy and surprised. She launched herself at him and hugged him tightly as he chuckled and wrapped his arms back around her and kissed her softly. "Hello, dearest."

"Hi," Bella whispered back against his lips, smiling. Though, she did start blushing when she heard Alice giggle and the Senator clear his throat.

"Hello, Edward, good to see you again," said Carlisle.

Edward just smiled and reached out to shake his hand. "Hello, sir."

Alice giggled and waved. "Hey, Alice," Edward said, wrapping his arms around Bella.

At this point Esme peeked out of the car. "What's taking so long…Oh! Hello, Edward! Should have expected to see you here. I'm sure you've been as anxious to see Bella as she has been to see you." She chuckled as Bella blushed an even deeper shade of red. "You really must come over to dinner again sometime soon." Edward smiled and nodded right before Esme turned to look at Carlisle. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry."

Carlisle looked confused for a moment then said, "Right! The luggage!" He turned to the car only to almost trip over the very same luggage he had been about to unload and then noticed the drive closing the trunk. "Oh, thank you, good man!"

Esme chuckled and ducked back into the car after waving to Bella and Alice and Carlisle gave Alice a kiss on the cheek and popped back into the car with a promise to see Bella on Monday.

Edward gave Bella another kiss and then whispered, "Let me help you and Alice get your things upstairs." He moved away from Bella and blinked at the number of bags he saw on the sidewalk and he looked at both women with a look of confusion. "You were only gone a week!"

Bella just shrugged and Alice responded, "There was shopping to be done! Come, let's get this all upstairs and then you two can…do whatever it is you need to do."

Edward laughed as Bella groaned and covered her blushing cheeks. "Really, Alice?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Just remember the house rules," Alice said as she grabbed a couple of garment bags and a smaller piece of luggage, "clothing in common areas at all times!"

Now it was Edward's turn to blush.

* * *

**A/N**: I would like to start off by apologizing for being away from my story for so long. A lot of things have happened in my life and much of it has led to a loss of my muse to write, but hopefully this will be the start of my comeback. I hope to post again in the next few days!


	32. Chapter 32

After helping Alice take her luggage inside, Bella had actually left with Edward to his apartment. Though Bella had been worried about leaving Alice alone, Alice insisted that she was going to spend time catching up on emails and that Bella should go. Of course, she also had a feeling that Alice was saddened being around her and Edward since things with Jasper had gone down the toilet.

As they lay naked in bed after a couple of rounds of lovemaking, Edward rested his head on her stomach as Bella lay there, idly running her fingers through his hair. She smiled to herself as she pondered on the idea that they didn't have to talk, they were happy enough just being around each other. Just as she started to doze off, she felt Edward turn his head so his cheek was no longer resting on her stomach and felt him place a soft kiss on her tummy before he whispered, "I missed you so much."

Bella smiled at his words and whispered sleepily back, "I missed you too." When he didn't say anything else and she felt his eyes on her she opened her eyes a bit to look at him only to find him staring at her with an intense expression on his face. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"This isn't going to be easy is it?" he replied softly.

She frowned and tilted her head, "What's not going to be easy?"

"The traveling, the separation, it's just going to get worse as time goes by. You'll be on the road with Senator Cullen's campaign and I'll be on the road with Senator Volturi," he said with a frown.

Bella felt a bit of panic in her chest at his words as she wondered if he was planning to end it. "No, it won't be easy," she agreed.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, a determination seemed to enter his and he said, "We'll make it work." He moved up above her and kissed her passionately and then he looked at her and fiercely said, "We'll make it work."

Reaching up, Bella rested her hand on his cheek and whispered, "Yes, Edward, we'll make it work."

Leaning down he kissed her again. As they made love for the third time that evening and he held her close as she moaned, whimpered, and whispered in his ear that she loved him, he wished that he was brave enough to say it back. He only hoped that the way he held her, the way he worshipped her with his body, would be enough to show her how he felt, even if the words couldn't escape his lips.

)( )( )( )(

The next morning, Bella sat quietly in one of Edward's t-shirts, sipping at a cup of coffee and reading the paper while Edward made them breakfast. Having gone through most of the paper with the exceptions of the sports section she idly started to flip through the magazine insert when she froze and whispered, "What the fuck?"

Surprised by her uncharacteristic cursing, Edward turned to look at her. "Everything all right?" When she didn't answer and her eyes stayed glued to the magazine in front of her, her face first draining of all color and then slowly turning more and more red, he turned off the burner on the stove and walked closer to her. "Bella?"

She looked up at him and there was a mixture of sadness and pure anger in her expression. Walking forward, Edward looked over her shoulder to see what she had been looking at and he took in a sharp breath when he saw a picture of them embracing in front of Bella's apartment with Senator Cullen and Alice looking on.

Reaching around her, he grabbed the paper and read the small article accompanying the photograph.

_It looks like things are getting pretty serious between Senator Carlisle Cullen's Communication Director, Isabella Swan, and Senator Aro Volturi's Chief of Staff, Edward Masen. Mr. Masen, one of the country's most eligible bachelors, seems to have taken himself off the market. Is it possible that he's also switching teams? Ms. Swan was rumored to have been dating Senator Cullen's Chief of Staff, Jasper Whitlock, before dumping him for Mr. Masen. Is it possible that Senator Cullen is also looking to make a replacement?_

Bella watched him nervously as he read the article and jumped in her seat when he suddenly exclaimed, "Shit!"

Before she could say anything his phone started ringing and she heard her own phone going off in the other room. She was heading to the living room to get her phone when she heard Edward answer his phone.

"This is Masen….What the fuck, Emmett!...Of course I fucking saw it…"

Bella sighed, tuning out his conversation as she noticed that it was Jasper on the phone. Holding back a groan she answered, "Hello."

She could tell by Jasper's voice that he was reining in his anger, "Have you seen today's paper? The article in the WP's magazine about.."

She interrupted him, "I saw it, Jasper…" Before she could say anything else Edward's voice rose several octaves, reaching her from the kitchen, "I want this Victoria Dodge's head on a fucking platter!"

Bella winced and sighed as Jasper said, "I take it you're with Masen. Obviously this is not the time to talk. Meet me in the office in an hour." Then the line went dead.

She heard Edward speaking on the phone in the kitchen and hesitantly made her way back there.

"We'll meet in the office in about an hour. I have no doubt that the Senator will have heard about this by then. Christ! Goddamn-motherfucker!"

Edward ran his hand though his hair and simply said, "Yeah, see you in an hour," before he hung up the phone.

Bella watched him pace back and forth across the kitchen like a caged animal as he continued to run his hands through his hair. When he stopped with his back to her she finally broke the silence and asked quietly, "How bad is this going to get with Volturi?"

Edward turned to look at her and clenched his jaw a bit, shaking his head. "I don't know," he said.

His phone started ringing again and he groaned as he saw who it was. "Listen, Bella, the phone isn't going to stop ringing and I have to get to the office. Christ, I'm sorry. I just wanted a relaxing Sunday with you."

Bella shook her head and went up to him, tiptoeing up to give him a soft kiss. "It's all right. I understand. I'll leave you to what you have to do."

Before she could walk away he pulled her close, burying his face against her neck and he whispered. "I'm sorry."

Warping her arms around his waist she squeezed him a bit and whispered, "We'll be all right." She only hoped it was true.

)( )( )( )(

When Edward got home late that night he felt as if he had been put through the wringer. He had barely been in the office and hour, planning and strategizing on how to handle the situation with several members of his team when the Senator had arrived. To say that the man had been livid would have been an understatement. When it was all said and done, Edward felt lucky to still have his job, but he knew he was in a precarious situation. Aro was going to keep him on a short leash for a while and he had to be careful.

Moving towards the kitchen he took the bottle of vodka he kept in the freezer and started to make himself a drink when his phone rang. Taking it from his pocket he actually smiled a bit when he saw it was Bella.

Answering the phone he sounded tired and said, "Hey, darling."

Her voice was soft as she replied, "Hi, Edward. Am…am I calling at a bad time? I didn't call earlier because I didn't want to disturb you. I figured you were busy."

"No, it's fine. Just got home from the office actually," he said as he held the phone to his ear using his shoulder and continued to mix his drink.

"Long day, huh?" she replied, a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah, you could say that," he said with a sigh.

She was quiet a moment, "Listen, Edward, I'm sorry that…"

"Hey, none of that," he replied, "None of this is your fault, or even my fault really, well, maybe a bit my fault."

"What do you mean?" there was a frown in her voice as she spoke, "How is any of this your fault?"

"I just…when I decided…," he laughed tiredly, "I don't even know how to explain this. It's a long story."

"Are we okay?" she asked timidly.

He smiled a bit to himself. "Yeah. You and I are great, dearest."

"Good," she said quietly. "Have you eaten?"

Edward laughed a bit. "No, food wasn't really a priority today."

"Can I bring something by for you?"

"You don't have to do that," he said.

There was a smile as she said, "I know I don't have to, I want to."

"That would be great," he replied, feeling better than he had all day.


	33. Chapter 33

Bella listened to Edward's soft, steady breathing beside her in bed as he slept and she stared at the shadows on the ceiling. She had no doubt that the only reason Edward was able to sleep was due to pure exhaustion on his part. For the past two months since their picture had made it to the magazine section of the Washington Post they had become regular fixtures in the gossip pages across the country and very visible parts of both Senators Volutri and Cullen's campaigns.

In those two months, Aro had kept Edward on a tight leash and she could see that the stress was starting to affect him. He didn't sleep well anymore. Whenever they were both in Washington at the same time they spent the night together, but more often than not she would wake up in the middle of the night only to find the bed empty beside her. If she got up to look for him, she would find him standing by the window, staring out at the city, obviously lost in his thoughts. At first she had pleaded with him to come back to bed. She stopped trying when she realized he would always tell her than he would be there in just a minute and then take his time coming back so she would fall asleep waiting.

Tonight, it was her turn to lie restless in the night. To say that things had been hectic over the last two months would have been an understatement. She'd been traveling a lot with Senator Cullen's campaign, which was now in full swing. There were speeches in front of farmers in the Midwest, fundraisers on the west coast, and media appearances in the east. And, while she was getting tired of living out of a suitcase, she was happy to have Edward to come home to whenever he happened to be in Washington at the same time she was.

The Volturi campaign was also in full swing. Less than a week after the paper debacle, Senator Volturi had announced that he was also seeking the party's nomination for President of the United States. Edward had been stressed, but then he had also been grateful that the announcement had taken some of the heat off of him and Bella. But, that didn't mean that the media still wasn't interested in their relationship. Not by a long shot.

Neither Edward nor Bella spoke about it, but neither Senator was happy about how their relationship had become public knowledge. Though they did damage control, Victora's vitriol had done its damage. They were openly dating now and their picture was a regular fixture in magazines across the country, but people still couldn't help but speculate about how their love life was affecting their jobs.

Sighing, Bella got up and left Edward sleeping soundly as she made her way to his kitchen. She spent more time at his place than she did at her and Alice's. Of course, Alice was now spending more time in California, and Bella just usually went straight to Edward's whenever she was in town. She actually hadn't seen the inside of her apartment in close to three weeks.

After getting a glass of water, Bella made her way to the living room and booted up her laptop, once again working on the speech that Senator Cullen would be giving at the party dinner they were having in just two days. Both Senator Cullen and Senator Volturi would be speaking at the engagement and whatever they had to say would go a long way in helping one of them take the lead in securing the party's nomination. She had been working on the speech for weeks along with some help from other staffers, but for the most part it was her baby. Both Jasper and Senator Cullen had looked it over and were impressed with her work. Carlisle had even joked about saving the speech for his inauguration just because it was that good.

As she continued to put the finishing touches on the speech, the sun started to rise, lighting up the sky in brilliant pastel hues, but she didn't notice. She only looked up from her laptop when Edward came up behind her and kissed the nap of her neck before inhaling her scent with a deep breath.

"Morning, darling," he said in a sleepy voice before he kissed her neck again and made his way towards the kitchen. "Coffee?" he asked.

"That would be great," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. She couldn't help but smile as he stumbled towards the kitchen. He looked adorable in his sleep pants with the crisscrossing marks from the wrinkled bedsheets imprinted on the skin of his back.

As he moved around the kitchen, he yawned. "How long have you been up?"

She shrugged and looked back to her laptop to print her work using his printer. Senator Cullen, ever old fashioned, preferred to edit off of hard copies. "A while. I just couldn't sleep."

He chuckled and moved to sit next to her on the expansive dining room table where they had set up two separate workstations of sort at opposite ends of the table, papers, articles, and manila folders strewn about her end in disarray while his was end was made up of neat and tidy piles. Setting her coffee next to her he shook he head. "I thought I was the one suffering from insomnia."

She smiled and let out a satisfied sigh after sipping at the coffee. "I just have a lot on my mind," she said, "Don't worry about it."

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "That's my usual excuse." After taking a gulp of his coffee he started to get up. "You want some breakfast? You don't have to go into the office today do you?"

She smiled. "Breakfast would be great. And, nope, don't have to go in. Just have to drop off something at the Senator's house by tonight."

"Good," he called back as he started to rummage through the fridge. "I'm glad we're both in town till this dinner thing. Gives us some time to spend together." He walked away from the fridge, his arms filled with various items to make omelets, "It'll be nice to just be together instead of worry about one of us having to go off to God-knows-where. We at least…," before he could say anything else the buzzer on the intercom went off and he arched a brow and looked at her, "You expecting someone."

She shook her head and had to keep from chuckling. Despite the fact that he had told her several times that she should move in and consider this her home, she wasn't at the point of inviting anyone over yet without telling him first.

Answering the intercom attached to the buzzard, he simply said, "Yes."

A young voice answered, "Uh. Hey…Edward? It's Alec."

Edward looked surprised. "Hey, Alec." Bella gave Edward a questioning look, but he just shrugged, obviously not knowing what this was about. "I'll buzz you in. Come on up."

Edward pressed the button to let Alec in the building. By now, Edward had told Bella that he was close to Senator Volturi's teenage son and had hinted at all the problems the kid had.

Bella smiled at him and just winked. He already knew that Bella wouldn't say anything about Alec or his problems and she had actually expressed an interest in meeting the kid. Now was her chance.

"Bella, dearest, perhaps you'd, uh, like to get dressed?" Edward stated after looking her over. He loved the way she looked in nothing but his sleep shirt, but he didn't need a horny teenager getting an eyeful.

Looking down at herself, Bella blushed and laughed. "You're probably right. I'll take a quick shower and change. It'll give you and Alec a chance to talk." She got up from her seat and kissed Edward before turning towards the bedroom. "Don't let him leave without my meeting him!" she called out over her shoulder.


	34. Chapter 34

Edward opened the door to his place when he heard Alec knocking and he went over to let him in. The kid looked like he usually did, wrinkled button up shirt, blazer, torn jeans, hair hanging in his face.

"Hey, kid," Edward said, standing aside to let him in.

Alec came in, hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Hey, man."

"Everything all right?" Edward asked, looking the kid over as he closed the door.

Alec lifted his head, tossing his head to the side a bit to get his long black bangs out of his face and he nodded. "Yeah, just…heavy at home, you know?"

Edward nodded. It wasn't the first time that Alec had shown up at his place just to hang out if things got a bit intense at home. He walked towards the kitchen. "Make yourself at home. You hungry?"

When Alec didn't answer, Edward looked his way the kid shrugged and nodded slightly, before he sat down at the dining room table near the kitchen.

Edward worked quietly. He never pushed Alec to talk and he wasn't about to start.

Alec just sat there quietly looking around the place. He jumped up though when Bella came into the room dressed in a t-shirt and yoga pants.

"Hi, you must be Alec," she said with a big smile as she held her hand out to greet him.

Alec shifted around uncomfortably with his hands his pockets for a moment before he finally took Bella's hand and muttered a soft, "Hey," before he stuck his hands in his pockets again. Bella almost felt a sense of animosity radiating off the boy, but she knew that Edward cared for Alec so she just smiled and turned towards the kitchen, asking Edward if he needed any help.

Edward had noticed the way that Alec had greeted Bella and he frowned a bit, but said nothing when Bella just gave him a reassuring wink. "Why don't I get the drinks ready?" She turned towards the fridge while Edward continued to work on the omelets.

Bella perused the contents of the fridge and called out, "We have apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice…What would you like, Alec?"

When the boy didn't answer, she looked over her shoulder and noticed Alec sitting at the table, fidgeting uncomfortably. "Alec?"

When she said his name again, the kid jumped up, looking startled. "What! Uh, I mean…pardon me?"

Edward looked over at Alec and frowned a bit at how antsy the kid seemed to be. "You all right, man?"

Alec nodded nervously and then said, "You know, I think I should just be going. I'll see you later." Without even giving them a chance to say goodbye or walk him out, Alec rushed out the front door.

Edward frowned and Bella asked with concern, "He all right?"

Shaking his head, Edward sighed, "I don't know, sometimes it's really hard to read that kid."

"You don't think I ran him off, do you?" Bella asked in concern.

Edward smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I'm sure it wasn't that." He honestly wasn't sure, but he didn't want her to worry. Kissing the tip of her nose he smiled. "I'll have orange juice by the way."

)( )( )( )(

Later that afternoon, Bella was getting ready to go drop the hard copy of the speech she'd been working on at Senator Cullen's place. When she looked to the printer and saw nothing she cursed under her breath. She could have sworn she printed out a copy. Getting on her laptop, she printed out the speech and tucked it in a file folder before she called out, "Edward! I'm leaving! I'll be back after I drop this off. Do you still want me to pick up Chinese on the way home?"

Edward came out of the bedroom. "You bringing a potted palm back with you?"

She laughed and looked at him with an arched brow. "Do I have anything to apologize for?"

Edward went up and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "You're leaving me. I think that qualifies as something you need to apologize for."

Bella giggled as Edward started kissing along her neck. "I won't be gone long." Smiling, she took his face between her hands and kissed him softly. "Besides, the love fern might get jealous," she whispered as she glanced over to the potted palm that was now near the windows in his living room. They were better able to care for it here so Edward had brought it over several weeks ago.

He sighed and dropped his forehead to her shoulder. "All right. Fine. Just come home soon." He turned his head and kissed her neck once more before he let her go.

She smiled and kissed him gently before she turned to run out. "See you soon!"

)( )( )( )(

Bella had indeed returned quickly that evening and they had spent the rest of it eating Chinese and laughing at a movie in front of the television. It was a good night where both of them were actually relaxed and not really thinking about work.

A couple of nights later the two of them were a bit more stressed as they got ready for the party dinner where both Senators would be speaking. They were both tense knowing what this meant for their bosses, but despite the tension, Bella couldn't help throwing an admiring glance towards Edward in his tux as he finished getting ready.

Edward's eyes were also on Bella as she moved around, putting the finishing touches to her own outfit. She was wearing one of the dresses that she had brought in California when going shopping with Alice. It was a midnight blue number that went well with her coloring. The strapless dress flowed around her. When she was still it didn't reveal much, but when she moved, the sheer fabric that made up several layers of the dress clung to her every curve and the slit at the front of the dress opened to reveal long, shapely legs.

"You look gorgeous, Bella," Edward said with a smile as he watched her put on some earrings.

Bella blushed and smiled at him via his reflection in the mirror she was standing in front of. "You don't look half bad yourself, Mr. Masen."

Turning around she took his cufflinks from him and quietly put them on for him.

He watched her and then he whispered, "You realize this is our first time going to a political event as a couple?"

Bella looked up at him and smiled softly. "Yes, but I'm sure it won't be the last." She was a bit nervous wondering how tonight was going to go. They were going to be there as a couple, but they were also going to be working. They're two worlds, personal and professional, had never been so close.

Of course the world knew that they were a couple, it _was_ all over the papers. But, they had only been seen in public at restaurants, the theater, or other social outings. Tonight would be different. She just hoped it all went well.

Sensing her nervousness, Edward kissed her and whispered, "Don't worry, everything is going to turn out fine. Well…it will if Aro and the speech writing staff finally finished. They keep changing everything around. You had your speech done the day before yesterday and I was getting revisions up until this morning."

Bella just chuckled a bit. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

He nodded and smiled. "Senator Cullen is lucky to have you."

Tiptoeing up she kissed him again and smiled. "C'mon. The car's probably downstairs already."

He nodded and waited for her as she grabbed her wrap and handbag before he escorted her out of the building.


	35. Chapter 35

The evening progressed like it usually did at other political functions, people mingled while d'oeuvres and drinks were served. Edward and Bella stayed by each other's sides through most of that part of the evening but at dinner they were separated into their separate camps. Senator Volturi wanted Edward seated at his table and Senator Cullen wanted Bella at his table as well.

Edward listened to his colleagues put down Senator Cullen and his staff, but he didn't contribute to the conversation and just spoke softly to Emmett who was seated nearby. Emmett seemed somewhat down due to the fact that Rosalie hadn't been able to attend the function, but he told Edward that it didn't matter since it was really a work night for him anyway. Edward just nodded, wishing he was seated by Bella. An uneasy feeling was settling at the pit of his stomach, especially when he noticed Felix, Jane, and other members of the staff quietly conversing across the table from him while occasionally throwing glances towards Senator Cullen's table.

He wondered if they were nervous about Aro's speech. He was surprised when he arrived earlier in the evening and discovered that Aro had asked to speak first. Usually he wanted to speak last so he could leave a lasting impression. He was also surprised that Felix and the other staff writers weren't busy making last minute changes to the speech. Up until this morning they had made it sound like almost everything had to be re-written.

Shaking his head from his thoughts he noticed one of the function's organizers giving him a signal that it was time for Senator Volturi to head backstage. He quietly mentioned to the Senator that they should make their way backstage. Aro nodded, and after giving his wife Sulpicia a kiss on the cheek, he headed in that direction followed by Edward, Emmett, and Felix.

Once they were backstage, Felix handed the folder containing the speech to Edward as Aro adjusted his tie and waited to be announced. Edward flipped the file folder open and scanned the contents quickly, just to make sure everything was in order, but as the words in his hands really hit him his brows drew together in confusion and then widened in horror before they flew up to look at Felix. He found Felix looking at him smugly while the Senator looked at him intently. Emmett seemed to be the only one that was confused.

"What's up, Chief?" Emmett asked in confusion before looking at the other two. "What's going on?"

"This isn't what…," Edward started to say, but before he could say anything else, Aro interrupted.

"What Felix wrote? No, though he did make a few changes. It's quite good." Aro chuckled and studied Edward intently. "Give me the speech, Edward," he said, holding out his hand.

Emmett continued to stand there, looking confused at Edward's horrified look as he stood there holding the folder tightly in his hands.

"Give me the speech, Edward," Aro said in again, his tone low and filled with malice.

Edward's eyes met the Senator's and he knew right then and there that he had a choice to make. He knew that Aro wasn't good at memorizing things and he would never make it through the speech without the papers in front of him. He also knew that the Senator knew exactly what he was doing—he was forcing Edward to choose, Bella or his career.

He wanted nothing more than to grab the papers and turn and run, instead he found himself holding out the folder to Aro with a shaky hand as Felix chuckled nearby and Aro's sinister smile grew as he said, "Now that's a good lad."

After taking the folder the Senator turned and made his way onto the stage, smiling and shaking the hand of the woman that had introduced him just moments before. From the wings, Emmett was whispering to Edward, asking what in the hell was going on, but Edward was scanning the audience, looking for Bella, but he didn't find her, at least not right away.

He didn't see her till he looked across the stage to the other wing where Bella was standing with Jasper and Senator Cullen. He felt himself breaking into a cold sweat as he saw her smiling at him from across the stage where Carlisle was waiting for his turn at the podium. Her smile turned into a look of concern when she noticed his expression, but then, the words that Senator Volturi had just started speaking seemed to penetrate and her look went from concern, to confusion, to sheer horror in a matter of seconds.

Edward didn't notice as Senator Cullen and Jasper's own expressions reflected those on Bella's face. He only noticed as Bella's eyes met his again, this time with a look of hurt and betrayal. It was fleeting through as she turned her back to him and started to talk with Carlisle and Jasper.

Edward had made the wrong choice and in doing so he had broken not only her heart, but his own.

He pushed Emmett away and flew backstage, taking a back entrance towards and alley where he promptly threw up.

What had he done?

)( )( )( )(

Bella was backstage with Jasper and Senator Cullen waiting for Senator Volturi to begin his speech when she noticed Edward behind the wings on the opposite side of the stage. She smiled at him, but then noticed that he seemed ill. She was considering excusing herself to go check on him when the words that Aro was speaking penetrated her thoughts. At first she was confused, wondering how this could be. Then she realized what was going on.

Her words.

Carlisle speech.

How had this happened? She looked at Edward again and realized that he wasn't ill, the look on his face was one of betrayal.

"How did this happen?" Senator Cullen was asking no one in particular.

"What the fuck is going on, Bella?" Jasper seethed under his breath.

She couldn't even form the words and just shook her head, not knowing what to say.

Jasper just shook his head and turned to Carlisle. "You got this, Carlisle." He straightened the lapels of Senator Cullen's jacket. "We both know that having speech writers for you is a formality. You are a top notch orator and can think on your toes. You stick to tonight's talking points, but you say it in your own words. Nothing has changed."

Carlisle, who had looked flustered for a moment nodded at all that Jasper was saying, a look of determination coming over his face.

"You are the future of this country and you are the one that's going to lead us into another great era," Jasper continued. "You are worth ten Volturis! The country deserves better!"

Carlisle nodded again and didn't even glance Bella's way as she stood silently by, feeling lightheaded as her heart pounded in her chest.

"You got this," Jasper said again in Carlisle ear just as Volturi concluded his speech and the audience gave him enthusiastic applause.

Carlisle took a deep breath, nodded again and watched as the same woman that had introduced Aro came back on stage, shook his hand, and waited for the audience's enthusiasm to Aro's speech died down…it took quite a while.

The speech was a hit, just like Bella knew it would be.


	36. Chapter 36

Bella couldn't tell you what Senator Cullen went up on that stage and said. In fact, she barely registered as he came off stage and he and Jasper talked as they led her off. She started to stutter out an apology, but Carlisle gave her a bit of a strained smile as he shook his head before he looked to Jasper who was on the phone. Before she could really understand what was going on she was being led to Alice's waiting car.

Getting in she didn't say anything for a while as Alice drove off, and she just stared at the city rushing by her. Finally, she looked to Alice, softly speaking, her steady voice not showing the raging turmoil inside of her, "I thought you were busy with Alistair tonight."

Alice shrugged, "Jasper told me you needed me."

"You two are talking again?" Bella asked.

Alice smiled a bit and glanced Bella's way. "We've actually been talking for a few weeks now. We're not back together again or anything…not yet anyway," she finished with another shrug.

"Huh," was all Bella said. She supposed she had been too wrapped up in her own relationship that she really hadn't talked to Alice about how things were going with her. "Sorry, I should have known that."

Alice shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

Silence filled the car for a while before Bella looked around. "Where are we going?" She had figured that Alice would be heading to their apartment, but they were actually in a completely different part of town. "Alistair's. I just, I figured you wouldn't want to be at our place where you could be easily found, you know?"

Bella was sure that Jasper had told Alice what had happened and so she just nodded and closing her eyes she leaned her head back against her headrest and let out a shaky breath. Alice was right, she didn't want to be found, and she had every reason to believe that Edward would be looking for her. Right now she had to figure out what to do. As far as she was concerned, she had no relationship and she knew she was going to have to resign. It was the right thing to do after tonight's fiasco.

She felt her chest and throat tightening up at the thoughts going through her mind, but before she could shed a single tear, she felt Alice reach out and squeeze her hand. "Don't worry," Alice said gently, "It'll be all right."

Bella wasn't so sure, but she squeezed her hand back and nodded.

Right now she really didn't know how anything would be all right.

)( )( )( )(

The function was over and the only sounds now echoing through the ballroom were the clatter of silverware on china and crystal glasses clinking together as the clean-up crew tidied up after the event.

The only guest left behind sat at the table where he had been most of the evening, bow tie undone, tuxedo jacket hanging haphazardly over the back of the chair where he slouched. His posture was that of someone that was utterly dejected, but more striking than that was the look on his face. His look was one of anguish.

The staff moved around him, cleaning up, giving him wide birth because of the vibe he was giving off. If any of them recognized him, they gave no indication as they continued to do their jobs.

Edward had no idea how much time passed before someone moved the chair next to him and he looked up to find Emmett sitting down, a tired expression on his friend's face.

No words passed between them for a while. He had told Emmett the truth of what had happened when Emmett had followed him out into the alley where he had gotten sick.

Emmett hadn't said much, he'd just led Edward back inside and made sure that Edward had pulled himself together enough to go sit down at his table again. Then Emmett had just disappeared for a while. In fact, this was the first time Edward had seen Emmett since then.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Emmett finally spoke, "We should get you home, Edward."

Edward nodded and stood up, reaching for his jacket. "Did you drive?" Emmett asked as he got up. Edward just shook his head.

"All right then," replied Emmett as they made their way out of the ballroom.

After they got in the car, Edward finally spoke, "Do you think that we might stop by Bella's?"

Emmett looked to him and frowning a bit he said, "She ain't there."

"You spoke to her?" Edward asked almost eagerly.

Emmett shook his head. "Nah, I talked to Rosalie."

"Has she seen Bella? Talked to her? Is she all right?" Edward questions came out in quick succession.

Frowning a bit, Emmett shook his head. "No." It seemed like he purposely left it vague as to which question he was answering.

Edward just watched the road and nothing else was said.

When Emmett finally pulled in front of Edward's building he didn't cut the engine, but did put the car in park. Edward didn't move to get out right away.

Finally, Emmett broke the silence, "Who do you think stole the speech?"

Edward shook his head and hoarsely replied, "I…I don't know. Someone might have hacked into her computer or email. It's not like any of the staff come by my place, not even you." He sat there frowning and then he rubbed his face tiredly and said, "Christ…"

"What?" Emmett asked.

"Alec was here just the day before yesterday when Bella was working on the speech."

Emmett arched a brow. "Alec? You really think the kid took it?"

Edward frowned. "I don't know, but I'd like to speak to him to find out."

Emmett sighed and nodded. "All right. I can pick him up and take him to the office tomorrow morning. Kid won't be happy it's a Sunday, but I think I can get him there," he added with a shrug.

"You don't want to bring him by here?" Edward said with a frown.

Emmett shook his head. "Nah, if he did take it, well, this is business and should be dealt with at the office. Throw him off a bit."

Edward nodded and moved to get out of the car. "All right. I'll be there at 9 a.m."

Emmett just nodded, looking at the steering wheel rather than at Edward. He feared that if he did look towards Edward that his closest friend would see the disappointment in his eyes, figure out his intentions and try to stop him.

"See you tomorrow, Em."

Emmett nodded again and Edward was too caught up in his own emotions to notice how Emmett was acting.

)( )( )( )(

Alistair's place in DC was rather small since he usually resided in New York, but he left the place to Alice and Bella's use, insisting it was no trouble at all since he was spending his nights with a "friend" anyway.

When they got to his place Alice had put a tea kettle on and then she'd gotten some comfortable clothes for Bella to wear. "Here, Alistair always keeps a stash of my comfy clothes here for when I crash after a long night."

Bella nodded as she took the clothes.

"Go take a quick shower and then we'll have some tea. I'm sure he even has crumpets around here…he's so…English," she smiled and gently pushed Bella in the direction of the bathroom.

As she showered, Bella tried not to think about what had happened tonight. She was tired and just wanted to sleep and think about tomorrow, well, tomorrow.

Stepping out of the bathroom a short time later in Alice's PJs she didn't even make her way back to the kitchen and instead she curled up on Alistair's bed. A short time later it was as if a dam broke and the tears she had been holding at bay for too long burst forth and she sobbed quietly in a fetal position. It wasn't long before she felt Alice lie down behind her and just hug her close. Neither of them had to say a word as Bella dealt with the immediate aftermath of the betrayal she had experienced.


	37. Chapter 37

Bella eventually cried herself into an exhausted sleep next to Alice. It was as if the heartache was too much for her to bear and she had just given into to sleep to get away from Edward's betrayal.

Across town, the opposite was true of Edward. He could not sleep a wink. He kept moving about his place like a cage animal, berating himself for handing the speech over to Aro all while hoping against hope that Bella would walk through the door.

Of course, he couldn't change what had happened, and he knew that Bella wouldn't come near his place, not with the way things stood. Somehow, he refused to admit to himself that this would break them. She would forgive him. She _had_ to.

At one point the emotional exhaustion took its toll on him and he made his way to the bedroom, but Bella's scent was still in the air and small things like her make-up bag, perfume bottle, and the shoes she had decided not to wear were still strewn about. With all those little mementos reminding him that only a few short hours ago they had been together and they had been happy.

He had made his way back to the living room and lay on the couch for a while, but sleep eluded him as the look on Bella's face when she realized what was happening kept repeating itself in his mind.

When morning finally arrived, he showered, dressed, and made his way to the office.

He was one of very few people in the Capitol building since it was a Sunday.

When he finally did arrive at his office, he really couldn't concentrate enough to get anything done and was just staring at his computer monitor when Emmett finally made his way into the office, Alec following close behind.

"You look like shit, Edward," Emmett said as he stood by the door.

"You don't look all that great yourself, Emmett," Edward said, taking in Emmett's tired, haggard appearance.

Emmett just shrugged and motioned for Alec to sit down. "Have a seat kid." He then looked to Edward and added, "I'll be at my desk."

Before Edward could ask why Emmett wasn't joining them, Em had closed the door behind him as he left the room. Frowning he turned his gaze to Alec and said, "You don't seem surprised to be here."

Alec, who sat slouched in his seat with his hands in his pockets and his jet black hair hanging over his eyes, shrugged. "I'm not."

"Then we won't beat around the bush. Did you take the speech Bella wrote from my place when you came to see me the other day?" Edward asked.

"I did," Alec said without hesitation.

Edward felt the anger inside of him rising like a geyser and he barely managed to hold back his anger as he asked the simple question that was running through his mind, "Why? Why would you do that?"

Alec frowned. "Do you know how much trouble you are in with my father, Edward? All he's been doing for the past few months since you and that…that woman have been all over the news is complain! He's pissed! You were on the brink of being fired! Fired!" As Alec spoke his voice grew higher and louder.

"So you decided to fuck with my personal life by betraying me…her! You've ruined what I've had with her!" Edward's own voice was growing louder with each word.

Alec waved his hand in a gesture that was very reminiscent of something his father would do. "There are other women, you only have one career."

Edward was more than a bit taken aback by Alec's demeanor and words. He had never seen so much of Aro in the boy as he did at that moment.

"My father was very pleased last night," Alec said as he stood up, "You should have seen how happy he was when I told him you had asked me to give him those papers."

Edward was too shocked to say much anything and just fell back into his seat, feeling as if the air had been knocked out of him. He was still trying to understand not only the fact that Alec was completely different from the kid he thought he knew, but he was also trying to come to terms with Alec's betrayal.

"I did you a favor, Edward," Alec said with a shrug as he stuck his hands in his pockets, resuming his usual slouchy posture, the same emo kid back instead of the manipulator Edward had just caught a glimpse of.

"Anyway, I'll see you around," and with that Alec left the office, leaving a stunned Edward sitting there.

He could hear Alec out in the front office telling Emmett that he didn't need a ride.

Edward sat there in silence for a while, the hurt spreading across his chest like a slow burn. If Bella was feeling one tenth of the betrayal that he was at that moment, there was no way that she was going to forgive him. He was sitting there, wondering how he was going to make things right when Emmett walked into the room.

"Edward? You all right?" Emmett asked quietly.

Edward seemed to take a while to process Emmett's words and then he said, "I'm pretty fucking far from all right, Em."

Emmett sighed at Edward's words and nodded before he ran a hand tiredly over his face. "This might not be the best time, man, but…I thought I should give this to you now before more time passed." With that Emmett seemed to square his shoulders as he stepped forward and handed Edward an envelope that he had been holding in his hands.

Edward looked confused as he reached out and took it. "What's this?"

"It's my resignation," replied Emmett.

)( )( )( )(

Across town at Senator Cullen's house, Bella, Jasper, and the Senator sat in his home office as Bella held out a very similar letter to Carlisle.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, it is a short chapter, but hey, you just got one yesterday.

I realized yesterday that there hasn't been much in the way of author's notes for this story. Some of you will read this, some of you won't, but I did want to thank you all for taking a liking to my story. I have gotten back into the groove of things apparently. I would love it if some of you would take the time to read some of my other work. Lonesome Hearts is a completed story with a Western setting. Why We Protect Our Imprints: Quileutes Legend is a one –shot that is also completed. The Life and Death of Elizabeth Masen, the story of Edward's mother, is also complete and can be considered a bit of a Twilight prequel. As for my other stories (Marcus & Didyme, Succubi, and Little Witches) they are on hiatus because everyone seemed to lose interest (or it was never there in the first place). I may continue them some day (have to admit that Marcus & Didyme is my favorite). Also, I am currently writing a story called We Hold These Truths about Bella and Edward and in an American Revolution setting. I will be updating that one about once a week if not more.

If you have any questions concerning Politics & Prejudices, please include them in your reviews and I will try to answer them with an author's note in my next installment.

For those of you that have recommended this story to others…thank you! I really do appreciate it! Please be sure to let me know who recommended the story so I can give them a shout out.

Remember the 3 Rs: Read, Review, & Recommend.


	38. Chapter 38

Senator Cullen sat behind his desk and looked at the envelope that Bella held out to him, but instead of reaching for it he glanced towards Jasper who was sitting nearby before he looked back to Bella and gave her a bit of a sad smile. "Please have a seat, Bella."

Bella sat down, folding her hands neatly on her lap, still holding the envelope under her slightly sweaty palms, the slight moisture there the only outward sign of her nervousness. She was even surprising herself with how remarkably calm she was in this situation. Her large brown eyes showed her inner turmoil though as she looked from Carlisle to Jasper and back again, waiting for something to say something.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Jasper finally asked, his voice surprising holding little to no anger, rather, it was tinged with sympathy and sadness.

Licking her lips, Bella took a deep breath before speaking. "To be honest, Jasper, Senator, I'm…I'm not really sure. I swear to both of you that I did not know that was going to happen."

Carlisle gave her a kind smile. "We know that, Bella."

"I don't think either of us believed for one moment that you gave Senator Volturi's camp that speech," added Jasper.

Bella was a bit surprised that Jasper was acting the way he was. She had expected him to be jumping up and down like a kid on the playground, pointing and screaming, 'I told you so! Nanny nanny boo boo!' or something along those lines.

"You worked on the speech at Mr. Masen's home?" Carlisle asked gently.

She could only nodded and looked down at her hands on her lap which were now tightly clutching the resignation letter she had typed up that morning.

"Do you think he was the one that took the speech?" Jasper asked.

It was hard for Bella not to jump up and say no right away, but after seeing the guilt on Edward's face the night before and replaying the look over and over again in her mind throughout the rest of the evening, she could barely keep the tears out of her voice as she whispered and unsteady, "I'm not sure."

Her calm façade was slipping.

Silence filled the room for a moment before Jasper continued his questioning, "Have you spoken to Mr. Masen since last night?"

Bella took a deep, unsteady breath and looking up she shook her head. "No, I haven't spoken to him since the speeches were given."

Carlisle nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment as the room once again went quiet.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am, Senator, Jasper, I don't know how this happened. I've jeopardized your campaign and that was never my intention. I want nothing more for you to succeed at this endeavor because I know that you belong in the Oval Office, sir," Bella said, looking directly at Carlisle. "I've known from the first moment I met you that you are a good man who wants what's best for this country. You are needed in the White House. This country needs you." Standing she held out the envelope in her hands again. "My relationship has put your chances at risk so I think it's best that I resign. I thank…thank you for the opportunities you've...," she had to take a deep, shaky breath as she began to choke up.

Carlisle stood up and came around his desk and gave her a hug, patting her gently on the back. "Shh, calm down, Bella." He moved to lead her back to her seat. "Come now, sit down. Jasper, will you get her a drink of water, please?"

Bella sat down and looked at Carlisle with tear filled eyes. "I really am sorry, Carlisle."

"I know, Bella," he said with a kind smile before he turned and took a bottle of water that Jasper was holding out to him and handed it to Bella.

Standing he moved to lean back against his desk and sighed. "I'm not accepting your resignation."

Bella blinked, obviously surprised, and looked from Carlisle to Jasper. "Pardon me?"

The Senator continued, "Jasper and I have discussed it and we are not accepting your resignation."

Bella's gaze went to Jasper, wondering if he really had part in the decision.

"Unfortunately," Jasper added, "that doesn't mean that there aren't consequences to what happened last night."

Bella's heart pounded in her chest as she wondered what this was about. Both Jasper and the Senator sat down again, but it was Jasper that spoke, "You are being demoted. While you are still a crucial part of the speech writing staff, you are no long head speech writer."

"At least, not for now," Carlisle added. "Consider it a temporary, trial demotion or something along those lines."

Bella just listened, trying to absorb what they were saying.

"For the next few months you will be working closely with Michael and Jessica. We know that you have utilized them for more minor things like press releases and prepping the Senator, but they need to know what you're working on and have complete access to it at all times. Also…" Jasper glanced to Carlisle before continuing, "…we are asking that you work out of the California office for the time being."

Bella felt as if the air had been knocked out of her as she reeled from this last bit of news. Though she knew it shouldn't have been, her first thought was of Edward. With everything that had happened the previous evening, with his betrayal, she figured that things were over, but this separation would only cement things.

"It's only temporary," Carlisle said, cutting into her thoughts. "We are not trying to control your personal life, Bella, not in the least. If you wish to continue to see Edward on a personal basis, that is your concern." Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Jasper stiffen a bit in his seat at the Senator's words, but Carlisle continued without pause. "We are merely sending you to California because that is where Michael and Jessica usually work and as the campaign gets into full swing we need the group together."

Bella nodded, trying to push down the panic she felt.

"It's only temporary, Bella," Carlisle added, sensing her nerves.

"How…how long?" Bella asked.

Jasper was the on to answer her question, "Well, we'll need you in California for at least a month, after that we're going to be on the campaign trail, we figure you'd join us for that and we'd take things from there."

Carlisle studied Bella quietly as Jasper spoke. "If you'd really prefer to stay here, we can figure out a way."

Bella knew that Carlisle was just trying to make things easier for her. "No, Senator, it's all right. It would be best to work with Michael and Jessica there."

Carlisle frowned a bit and nodded, wondering if they were just helping Bella to run away from her problems rather than facing them head on. Jasper had been the one to suggest that they send Bella to California for a while. Michael and Jessica, while part of the communications group he had put together, were good, they were not as good as Bella. Since they weren't as central to the campaign, he hadn't minded when they had asked to work out of the California office, only flying into DC when needed. Rumors were they were close to getting engaged and were planning a wedding for some time after the election. If it was true then it explained their desire to stay close to home. It worked for them, but he wasn't sure that this would work for Bella.

Jasper had talked him into it, feeling that Bella would need the distance after what had happened. He'd only agreed after talking to Alice who had reluctantly agreed that it was probably the best thing. Both said that she needed to distance herself from Masen after what had happened. He had a hard time believing that Masen had anything to do with the speech debacle, but then again, how could he not. What he had an even harder time believing was that he had so misjudged the man.


	39. Chapter 39

"Resignation?" Edward could barely get the word out.

Emmett frowned when Edward just stared at him instead of taking the letter and moving forward a bit he set it down on the desk in front of Edward.

Edward's eyes fell on the letter for a moment before they snapped back up to the man who had stood by him, thick and thin, for several years. "Emmett…" He really didn't know what to say.

Emmett let out a loud sigh before he moved to sit in one of the chairs located across from where Edward sat at his desk.

"You know, I never told you something rather important," Emmett started, looking at Edward with a saddened expression. "You remember my telling you that both my grandfather and father served in the armed forces before me?" He didn't wait for Edward to answer and continued, "I never told you that my grandfather served in the same platoon as your grandfather in the second World War."

Edward's brows drew together in confusion. He remembered a bit about his grandfather, but the man had had Edward's father late in life and had died when Edward was a very young boy. He knew that his grandfather had served in World War II, but then the majority of young men in his generation had.

He just didn't understand why Emmett was bringing it up now.

"They were good friends. My granddad always spoke very highly of him. He got to meet your dad, you know? At your grandfather's funeral? Got to meet you too. He said that the Masen's were a good family. Good people with good hearts." Emmett shook his head. "It was one of the reasons I wanted to work with you, you know? I have done my best at this job not because I particularly cared for Senator Volturi, I did it because I wanted to work with you. I trusted your judgment and that you wouldn't be led astray, even by Aro's bullshit. And, you haven't been, not until last night." Emmett stood up then. "I love you like a brother, Edward, and I'm still your best friend. I'll always be your best friend and be there when you need me, but I need to get out now. I can't tolerate what happened last night, the deceit and dishonesty. Everyone says it's part of politics. Heck, _you_ told me it was part of politics when I first got the job, but I never really thought you'd be part of that. It's best that we end our professional relationship now before it starts to affect our friendship." Even as he said the words, Emmett knew that he was deluding himself. He knew that this was already affecting their friendship. He knew that Edward was not going to take his resignation well.

Edward sat there, obviously shaken by Emmett's words. He was driving everyone away.

"I don't know why I did it," Edward said brokenly. "I don't know why I handed that speech to Aro."

Edward actually felt tears prickling at the back of his eyes and he closed them before they could spill over and let his head fall back against his chair as he swallowed thickly.

Emmett looked at Edward quietly for a moment and then said, "C'mon, Edward, let's get out of here."

Edward opened his eyes and just looked at Emmett.

"C'mon, man. You need to talk and sort things out and this really isn't the place. Let's go get a drink," Emmett continued as Edward just sat there.

"It's still morning, Emmett," Edward finally replied.

Emmett snorted, "When did that excuse really ever stop anybody?"

Edward nodded and stood up, quietly following Emmett out of the Senator's offices.

Deciding that Edward was in no shape to drive, Emmett drove them over towards Edward's place. Rosalie had all but moved into his and he knew that she'd make Edward wish he was never born if she saw him. He'd called Rose not long after Speechgate the previous evening and since she had been in contact with Alice they had been able to piece things together. To say that Rose was livid would have been an understatement. She liked Bella a lot. Emmett was rather upset himself and though it tore him up inside, he still cared for Edward. More than anything, he was saddened by the fact that with that one gesture of handing over the speech to Volturi, Edward had become the exact type of politician Edward had sworn he never wanted to become. It was then and there that he had decided to resign. He just hoped that that along with the fact that Bella would have a hard time forgiving Edward (if she forgave him at all) was enough of a wake-up call to Edward. Edward needed to stop working for a monster before he became one himself.

)( )( )( )(

"When are you leaving?" Alice asked quietly as she drove Bella back towards their apartment.

Bella looked away from the shifting view outside her passenger window and looked to Alice. "Day after tomorrow. I'll be staying with Jessica. Apparently she's usually at Mike's anyway so…," Bella let her voice trail off and just shrugged.

Alice was quiet a moment and then she said, "You want me to go with you?"

Bella was only half surprised by the offer and shook her head. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking, I'm offering, there's a difference. I'd be nice to be in California for a few days. The humidity here is horrible for my hair," Alice said with a smile.

Bella tried to smile back, but she couldn't. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but truth of the matter was she really needed her best friend. "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Alice said cheerfully back. "We'll get home and pack what you'll need for the next month."

Bella was quiet a moment. "I'm…I'm going to have to go get my things from Edward's place." It pained her to even say his name and the thought of seeing him made her feel downright ill, but unfortunately it was something she was going to have to do sooner or later. Most of the things she needed were actually at his place.

Alice pursed her lips at that and looked thoughtful for a while.

"We'll figure it out. I'm sure between you, me, and Rosalie we'll get all your stuff. Heck, I'm sure she can get Emmett to help and we both know Jasper will help too."

Bella shook her head and rested her head against the passenger side window. "It's not that much stuff. I just need my clothes, computer, work stuff…"

Alice just nodded as she moved to park the car. "We'll figure it out," she said again.

Though Bella knew that Alice was right and they would find a way to get her stuff from Edward's place, that was just a small bump in the road compared to what lay ahead. Truthfully, she wondered how she was going to get by day-by-day living with what Edward did. She honestly wasn't sure how she was going to go on without him, but she would. What hurt most of all was the thought that their whole relationship had built up to this and she couldn't help but wonder if he ever really cared about her. She thought he had. She even thought that he had loved her, even if he had never said it. But, the doubt had begun to creep in. From the very beginning Edward himself had tried to warn her that D.C. was a place full of sharks, people that would do anything to get ahead.

She just never figured that he was one of them or that he would wait till he had her fragile heart in his hands before dealing a death blow by showing his true colors.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, it seems that more than a few people are upset at Edward (both readers and characters). Just to let everyone know, I do believe in HEAs in stories, so I hope that puts some of your minds at ease.

I have received a lot of new readers and I am very grateful!

If you have any questions regarding the story, please let me know and I will try to answer them in the author's notes in future installments.

There was some questions about political affiliation. Both Senators are in the same party. I am not making this a story about being Republican or Democrat. This being said I do have VERY strong political views and do skew in one direction, but I'm not sharing what that is. This isn't about personal ideals, it's about relationships in the political world.


	40. Chapter 40

Edward looked at the phone in his hands for the hundredth time, willing it to ring or willing himself to find the courage to call her. He knew he had to be the one to try to fix this. He _had_ to fix it. He needed Bella.

Sitting nearby with a beer bottle in his hand, Emmett shook his head. "You know she's not going to call."

Edward's shoulders seemed to slump a bit more. He was about to suggest that maybe he should call her when Emmett continued, "And, you know she's not going to take your call either."

Edward let his head fall back against the couch and he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Some random sports competition was playing on the television, but neither one of them were really paying attention to it.

Emmett had suggested that they go somewhere, drink, and talk things out, but somehow they had ended up at Edward's place, which Emmett found rather strange since they had never really hung out there. Not much talking had taken place either, but then Emmett wasn't sure that there was much to say. Edward had screwed up in a major way and in the process he'd lost Bella and Emmett had felt forced to resign from his job. Emmett just hoped it was the wake-up call that Edward needed.

He knew that Edward had wanted to come back to his place in the hopes that Bella would show up. From what little information Rose got, that wasn't going to happen. Rose had only been getting a bit of information from Alice, but what little bit had trickled down to him sounded pretty bad. He wasn't even sure if Bella had a job anymore.

"What am I going to do, Em?" Edward asked, finally opening his eyes and turning his stricken look to Emmett. Emmett was about to reply when his phone rang and sighing he said, "Give me a sec."

Answering the phone he said, "Hey, Rose."

The conversation seemed pretty one-sided after that and Emmett only responded to whatever Rose was saying with an, "Mmmhmm," or a sigh. It wasn't till he had been on the phone for a while that he said, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He waited for a moment and then said, "Yeah, we're here now." It was then that Emmett looked at Edward as he spoke into the phone. "Right. I'll let him know." A few more words were spoken and then Emmett smiled a bit and whispered, "Yeah, love you too, babe. See you soon," before he ended the call.

Through the conversation, Edward had just sat there, looking at Emmett. When Emmett had finally let Rose go, he spoke, "I assume you're supposed to let me know something."

Emmett stuck his phone in his pocket. "Well, I'll tell you some of what she wanted you to know, but I'll keep the rest to myself since it involves a few choice names that don't bare repeating."

Edward nodded and frowned, closing his eyes again as he slumped further into his seat.

"Bella's on her way with Alice and Rose," Emmett finally said.

"What?" Edward's eyes flew open and he sat up in his chair. "You mean Bella's on her way here right now?"

Emmett nodded and Edward flew out of his seat. "Does she want to talk this out? What should I tell her?"

Emmett's frown grew and he sighed, running a tired hand over his face as he responded, "She's willing to talk, but Rose said it'll only be for a bit."

Edward nodded, feeling hope for the first time since the horror of the previous evening and he actually smiled a bit at Emmett. "I know that we can work this out."

Emmett seemed to fidget at his best friend's words and he seemed hesitant about saying something, but it wasn't as if Edward noticed as he started to tidy up the already immaculate place. "How far away are they? How soon do you think they'll be here?" Edward asked anxiously.

"Edward…" Emmett said, concern evident in his voice.

"Do you think I should change? Do I have time to shower?" Edward continued as he fixed some pillows on the sofa where he'd been sitting.

"Edward," Emmett tried to interrupt again.

"No, there's probably not time to shower. I don't want to leave her wai...," before Edward could even continue Emmett interrupted. "Edward! Listen to me! She's coming to get her things!"

Edward froze and looked at him, eyes widening a bit at the realization of what Emmett had said. "Her things?"

"Yeah, the girls are just coming to help her get her things," Emmett said, looking at his friend, pity in his gaze.

"But…why?" It wasn't as if Edward didn't know the answer to that question himself. He knew he had done something horrible the previous evening, but perhaps if he could talk to her, if he could explain. Was this a break or a break-up? His heart cracked at the idea of the first and shattered at the realization that it might be the second.

They would work it out. They had to.

Even if Bella wanted to get her things, that didn't mean that it was over. He wouldn't let it be over. He needed her.

In his mind, he still had time to rectify the situation.

At least he thought he did. Then Emmett spoke the words that indicated that that might not be the case, "She's leaving. I'm sorry, bro, but she's getting her things because she's leaving DC."

* * *

**A/N:**

First, let me start off by apologizing for the short chapter. I wanted to get something out to you guys though and this is what I have time for right now. Second, please excuse the delay. In the last month things have gotten ridiculously busy. I now hold 3 jobs (a full time job + teaching 2 courses for the local university + some other part-time work at another institution) and I'm closing on a house next month. If you have ever bought a house, you know how tiring and endless of a process it is. Apparently I'm a masochist for letting this all happen at the same time. It's the perfect storm of stuff taking up all my time!

A few weeks ago I was actually nominated by the Lemonade Stand for Fic of the Week by evilnat. I was hoping to submit a new chapter at that time and direct y'all to vote, but there wasn't any time to do so. I am sincerely flattered by the nomination. Believe it or not, but this is the first time I've been nominated for anything in the FF world. I didn't win, but I still did get a lot of new readers directed my way.

Thank you again for reading and commenting! I enjoy reading every single comment!

If anyone has recommended you to this story, please, let me know who they are!

Remember the 3 Rs: Read, Review, & Recommend.


	41. Chapter 41

Alice half expected Bella to be fidgeting nervously in the passenger seat of her car considering where they were heading, but instead, her best friend was looking out the window as they drove along the streets of DC towards Edward's building.

She didn't realize that she herself was a ball of nervous energy and was fidgeting around in her own seat till Rose reached from the backseat and put her hand on Alice's shoulder and said, "Jesus, Alice, calm down!"

Rose was a bit nervous herself, but in her usual manner she was channeling all the nervous energy into anger. It was going to take a lot of self-control on her part not to give Edward Masen a piece of her mind, but she knew that she couldn't and wouldn't do that, this was something that Bella and Edward had to handle on their own…whether they worked it out or not. Looking towards Bella she pondered on how ironic it was that Bella was the calmest of the three of them.

Of course, Rosalie had no idea of the inner turmoil that was raging within her friend's mind and heart.

Bella's mind was telling her one thing while her heart was telling her another. Her mind was angry and more than a bit bitter from the betrayal she had experienced at Edward's hands and, while her heart was in pieces, it was still not as shattered as she thought it would be. In fact, it was still intact enough to give her hope.

Her heart hoped that there was an explanation.

Her head was telling her she as an idiot for even being willing to listen.

Despite the war raging within her, Bella looked calm as she stared out the window, watching as they got closer and closer to Edward's flat.

The lingering silence became too much for Alice and she filled the silence in the car with an overly cheery voice, though there was nothing that was cheery about the situation at hand. "So this is the plan." Alice always had a plan. "We go in and give Bella and Edward time to talk…" Rosalie snorted in the backseat, obviously not in agreement with this part of the plan, but Bella had insisted. Alice continued as if she hadn't heard Rose, "…and while they…talk…Rose and I will go into the bedroom and start packing up your things. According to Bella there shouldn't be more than two suitcases full. Is that right, Bella?" Bella merely nodded and Alice continued without missing a beat. "We'll pack everything up and Emmett, who's already at Edward's, will haul it downstairs for us."

Bella didn't even bother to respond to Alice and Rose just frowned grimly and nodded in response. In truth, Rose didn't like the idea of leaving Edward and Bella alone, and she liked the idea of Emmett leaving the apartment, even for just a moment, even less.

Alice was also a little put off by the idea, but she had Jasper on standby, but of course that was only as a last resort. The last thing this situation was bringing Jasper into the mix, that was turning an already volatile situation into something akin to a nuclear holocaust. And, while Alice did have the tendency to exaggerate, with the mood that Jasper was in she wasn't too far off.

Jasper might not have approved of Bella's relationship with Edward, but in all honesty, he had started to come around. It was his own situation with Alice that had allowed him to see how having someone to love and care for made all the difference. As he and Alice had started to patch things up, he had become more open to the idea of Bella and Edward being together. The thing that affected him most was how happy Bella seemed to be. After what had happened Alice had been the one that had kept Jasper from seeking out Edward. And, while he had been upset about the whole debacle with the speech, it was seeing how hurt Bella had been that had almost sent him on the rampage.

As they pulled in front of Edward's building and found a parking space, they all just kind of sat there, looking out the window at the building. Alice continued to fidget in her seat, blinking rapidly while Rose scowled at the brick and mortar as if it was Edward Masen himself.

Bella sat there a moment and taking a deep breath she finally broke the silence that surrounded them, "Well, let's get this over with." Stepping out of the car she made her way towards the building, using her keys to let herself in. Behind her, Alice and Rose scurried out of the car, following close behind. As they made their way into the building and to the elevator, Rose shifted the empty duffle bag she brought with her on her shoulder. Alice looked at it questioningly and Rose shrugged, "Just in case it doesn't all fit in the suitcases she has in there."

Alice just nodded and then jumped as the elevator dinged as if finally reached their floor.

Stepping into the elevator, the trio was silent as the numbers changed on the display as they went up towards Edward's floor.

Alice was still fidgeting, shifting her wait around and tugging at the hem of her shirt nervously all while ignoring the exasperated looks that Rose was giving her. Bella didn't pay attention to either one as she steeled herself for what was to come.

When the elevator finally reached Edward's floor they stepped out behind Bella and headed in the direction of his door. All the while, Bella was wondering if she should just use her key or knock. She knew that he was there, Emmett had verified that to Rose, but even as she pondered what to do and even considered turning around and running, they had reached the door. Before she could take action the door swung open and Edward stood there.

He looked sick, tired, and disheveled, but in Bella's mind, his appearance, as bad as it was, didn't come close to how she felt.

Looking at her through heartbroken, red-rimmed eyes, he merely whispered, "Bel…," but before he could even get the last syllable of her name out his voice was cut off by a resounding slap as her hand met his cheek.

* * *

I would sincerely like to apologize for making you all wait for this installment, but I honestly have a very good excuse. I've already explained how busy my schedule is with 3 jobs and closing on a house, but this leave of absence had nothing to do with that.

Three weeks ago I was on the treadmill on a Sunday night when I felt something was "off." I couldn't finish my run so I thought maybe I pulled something. That night I couldn't get comfortable in bed and didn't get any sleep. After a restless night, the next day I skipped my full-time job, but I still ended up going to teach that Monday night and attend another classroom observation at another institution. I still didn't feel well and people asked why I was limping. I said it was nothing and that I probably pulled a muscle. The following day, Tuesday, I made myself go into work since I had a very important meeting where I was going to do some work with the board members of my college for the president of the institution. I fell ill, but told myself I would go into the clinic after the meeting. Considering my uncle is my physician, I decided I couldn't wait that long and asked him to see me during my lunch hour. Long story short, I needed surgery and had an emergency appendectomy that night. As you can imagine that threw me for a bit of a tizzy. No board meeting, no work, nothing for a little while. I've been trying to get back on a normal schedule for a few weeks now and I'm actually just beginning to feel caught up.

All that being said, you won't have to wait long for the next installment!

Remember the 3 Rs: Read, Review, & Recommend!


	42. Chapter 42

The slap had stung, not so much because of the force behind it—Bella was a petite woman after all—it stung more due to the fact that she had delivered the blow at all. But, more than the slap, the thing that sent a lance of pain right through his heart was the look on Bella's face.

Bella looked tired and gaunt, as if she hadn't slept well or eaten well since he'd last seen her, but the look in her eyes as she gazed at him, the hurt he saw there, made him feel as if he wanted to die.

Quickly after slapping him, Bella let out a gasp of shock, as if she could not believe in her own action, and her large brown eyes quickly filled with tears. "I'm….I'm s…sorry," she managed to stammer out.

Edward didn't even have a chance to say anything before Rose stepped up and rubbed Bella's back lightly, whispering soothingly, "Shh…it's all right."

Bella covered her face with her shaking hands even as Alice, who had a completely shocked look on her face, looked from Bella to Edward and simply said, "May we come in?"

Edward didn't take his eyes off Bella as he stood to one side, holding the door open. Alice stepped in and Rose led Bella in. Emmett, who was already in the apartment, but who had missed the slap came up to them. "Hey, girls."

He looked at Bella and Edward with concern and hesitated before saying, "Uh, maybe we should let Bella and Edward talk?" Rose pursed her lips a bit, but nodded tersely as Alice looked to Bella and asked quietly, "Your stuff's in the bedroom, right, Bella?"

Bella let her hands fall away from her face and nodded. Rose squeezed her shoulder even as Alice reached out and squeezed one of her hands before they followed Emmett into the bedroom to get Bella's things.

Edward stood there quietly, just looking at Bella, feeling shattered by how hurt and frail she looked. Without looking at him, Bella whispered, "I'm sorry. I've…I've never hit anyone in my life. I…I shouldn't have done that."

"I deserved it and more," Edward responded quietly.

Bella didn't respond at first and just stood there, looking quietly out into the living room. The silence hung like a heavy fog around them for a few more moments before Bella's broken voice finally was heard, and all she said was, "Why?" He knew that she wasn't asking why he thought he deserved more than a slap. He knew she was asking about what had happened with the speech.

At the simple, one word question, Edward groaned and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. "I…I don't know what happened…"

Before he could say anymore, Bella interrupted and finally turned to look at him, "How could you do that?" and though the hurt was still evident in her voice, the anger was becoming clearer in her tone.

Edward didn't know what to say. He wanted to deny that he had taken the speech. He wanted to say that it had been Alec who had given the speech to Aro, but in the end, he knew that he was just as guilty for handing the speech to the Senator after he realized what it was. All he could choke out was her name, "Bella…" His hands fell away from his face and his head fell forward as his shoulders slumped, feeling as if the weight of the world was bearing down on him so that he could barely breathe.

He was at a loss for words. He wanted to make sure that he said the right things so that he wouldn't lose her and therefore he was afraid to say anything at all out of fear of saying the wrong thing.

Bella looked at him for a moment and then she stepped forward and reaching up a trembling hand she rested it on his cheek and she moved to peer up at him as he continued to bow his head and she asked again, her voice broken with unshed tears, "How could you?"

Edward closed his eyes tightly as he felt her warm, trembling hand against his face and reaching up he rested his hand over her and turned his head slightly, inhaling the scent of her even as he tried to find the words.

The anger slowly started to overcome the heartbreak that Bella felt and she snatched her hand away. "Tell me! Why did you do it?!"

Edward felt his heart break a little bit more as she pulled her hand away and he looked up at him and choked out, "Bella…I...," he stopped and cleared his throat of the unshed tears that seemed to be lodged there. "I didn't know. I didn't know that Alec had taken the speech when he came over."

"Alec took the speech?" Bella asked as she wrapped her arms around herself. It was apparent that she wanted to believe that he had nothing to do with this, that he hadn't betrayed her. And, it would have been easy enough for Edward to let her believe that and say nothing more, but he knew that he couldn't hold the rest of what happened from her forever.

"Yes, he took the speech and gave it to Aro. He must have taken it when he came over that night," he responded, even as he saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "But, Bella, oh sweetheart, there's more."

Bella's brows drew together as if she didn't understand and she just looked at him in confusion as he continued.

"Right before he went on stage I had the speech in my hands. I…I read it and I knew it was yours." Despite the sharp intake of breath that Bella took at his words he continued, "I could have kept it, stopped the Senator from using it, but I didn't. I was the one that handed it back to him right before he went on stage."

A single tear slid down Bella's cheek after his confession, but she hastily reached up and angrily wiped it away. "I see," she responded, her voice almost cold, void of emotion.

"I don't know why I did it," Edward said in an anguished tone as he took a step towards her, reaching out to her even as she took a step back, trying to avoid his touch. "I know I shouldn't have. I just…I handed it over and I felt sick doing it…"

Before he could say anything else, Bella interrupted him, "But, you did it anyway."

Edward let his hand fall, no longer reaching towards her, but his eyes never left hers. Both their gazes reflected the betrayal that he had committed; hers showed hurt, his showed regret.

"I would do things different if I could," he said quietly.

"How can I trust you again, Edward?" was all she said in response.

Bella wanted to cry, she wanted to burst into tears. He hadn't explained why he had done what he'd done, and frankly it didn't seem like he could, but the fact that he had done it made her feel as if he had taken the already fractured pieces of her heart and shattered them into tiny pieces of powder. She wanted to scream. She wanted to sob.

She did none of those things.

Instead, she took a deep, shaky breath as if steeling her resolve for what she had to say and what she had to do.

"How can I make this better?" Edward asked in an anguished voice.

"You can't," she said softly, "You can't make this better, Edward."

A sob escaped the back of Edward's throat as he lunged forward and snatched her close, pulling her into his arms in a tight embrace. "Don't…don't say that," he choked out between the tears that were starting to course down his face.

Bella's whole body began to shake and for a moment she wanted nothing more than to soothe him and let him comfort her in return and take away all the hurt they were both feeling, but things weren't that easy.

"Please, Bella, we can fix this. I know we can," he cried softly into her ear.

She had to force herself to stop from putting her arms around him as he continued to cling to her, but to stop herself from doing so, she clenched her hands into fists at his side and just shook her head slightly.

"Please," he continued as he felt her negative response to his words. "Please. I love you."

Instead of having the effect that he had hoped she yanked herself away from his embrace and looked at him, her eyes reflecting anger. "You love me?" she replied, anger apparent in her voice. "You pick now to be the first time to tell me you love me?"

Edward looked shocked by her reaction. "Bella…"

She didn't let him continue. "Did you think that that would make it all better?" Tears were now openly streaming down her face. "Did you think that saying you loved me would change what you did?" her voice was loud enough that their three friends in the bedroom stopped the last of the packing to look at each other, Emmett wondering out loud if he should go out there.

"If you loved me you wouldn't have done what you did!" she screamed, "I wouldn't be worried about my career, about the candidacy of a man I happen to care for! A man who could do good for this country unlike that lowlife scum that you work for!"

As the screaming continued, Emmett, Alice, and Rose came out of the bedroom, the first two's faces filled with concern while the latter's was etched in anger.

"He wouldn't have been forced to send me away!" Bella continued. She stopped screaming then and visibly tried to swallow back the sobs that were caught at the back of her throat.

Edward just stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"No, you don't love me, Edward Masen. All you care about is yourself," she ended softly then made a sound that was a cross between a sob and a whimper. With that Alice rushed forward and wrapped her arms against Bella, effectively blocking Edward from getting anywhere near her even as Rose spoke to Emmett without taking her glare off of Edward. "I think it's time for us to go." Emmett seemed hesitant, but he nodded and came back out from the bedroom after hastily closing up the luggage containing Bella's things.

Alice continued to hold Bella in her arms, trying to calm down her almost hysterical friend. It was as if the flood gates had finally opened and Bella was letting all her pent up emotions out.

Edward wanted nothing more than to grab Bella from Alice and soothe her himself, but he figured at this point that would probably make things worse rather than better. Emmett came out of the bedroom and looking around uncomfortably for a moment he said, "I'll take this downstairs."

Rose nodded and moved to follow him even as Alice began to lead Bella out of the apartment, whispering softly, "C'mon, Bella."

As they walked out Edward whispered, "I wasn't just saying it, Bella. I really do love you."

Bella halted as she was being led out and she looked at him and said, "I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse, Edward. If you really do love me and you were capable of this…," she stifled a sob. "What kind of man are you?"

Alice frowned in Edward's direction even as Bella seemed to collapse against her in another bout of tears and then she led Bella out right before Rose slammed the door as she walked out after them.

* * *

Yes, I know it's been forever. I really am sorry. I do want to continue and finish this story. The good news is that I'm now settled in my new house and my teaching schedule seems lighter this semester so I should be able to write on a more regular basis!

I know this chapter was a complete bummer! Please remember that I do believe in HEAs.

Please remember the 3 Rs = Read, Review, & Recommend.


	43. Chapter 43

_What kind of a man are you?_

_What kind of a man are you?_

The words just kept echoing in his head, like a hammer pounding out against his skull.

Ever since Bella had said those words he couldn't stop thinking about them. Since she had walked out the door the day before he hadn't answered his phone or checked his messages, instead, he sat there, staring into space as he repeated those words over and over again in his mind.

"What kind of man am I?" he thought.

The truth of the matter was that the more he pondered on the question, the more that he didn't like what he saw.

He had originally taken his job with Aro because despite the fact that he loved politics, he hadn't wanted to work with someone that reminded him of his father, and there was no doubt that Senator Aro Volturi was practically the complete opposite of who Edward Masen Sr. had been. When he had graduated and been offered jobs in politics left and right, he knew that most of the jobs were being offered for one of two reasons: Some politicians wanted him because they were friends of his fathers; others wanted him because they wanted to be associated with that magical political dynasty that was the Masen clan. In the end he didn't want to work too closely with anyone that had been close to his father or was too much like him. It had been too hard. At the time he felt that by taking a job with someone like his father or with someone that had been closely associated with him, would have been a betrayal to his father's memory, as if he were trying to replace him.

So, instead he had chosen to work for a man that was nothing like his father. His father had been in politics because of his love of government and his belief that the system was there to help the people. He had wanted to make this a great country and that, more than family legacy, was the reason he had sought public office.

Senator Aro Volturi was a completely different man. He was a man who sought office in a quest for power. His need for it was like an unquenchable thirst that could not be sated. He had no interest in helping people unless he could get something in return for it.

He had known this when he had started working for Aro, but he figured that the Senator was the type of man that was going to be in a seat of power no matter what and that by taking a position as his chief of staff he could still follow his own ideals and steer Aro in a good direction in the process.

He had been wrong and nothing showed that more than this incident with Bella.

No, he didn't like the type of man that he had become. Rather than influencing Senator Volturi and steering him towards good, he had been the one led astray. While he still honestly couldn't say why he had bowed to pressure and handed over the speech, he figured that part of him was just too worried about what the consequences would be for his career. He just hadn't thought about how he would lose Bella in the process. If he had, he would have happily let his career go to hell in a hand basket.

But, now he had a career…but he had no Bella.

The phone started ringing again, but it stopped after a few rings, going to voicemail. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Edward!" Emmett's voice boomed along with the pounding that rattled the heavy door on its hinges. "Edward, open the damn door!"

For a moment Edward considered not moving from his place slumped on a chair in the living room.

"Edward! I'm a fucking ex-Navy S.E.A.L., open the door or I find a way to get in there anyway and I can guarantee it won't be pretty!"

Edward took a deep breath and moved to get up knowing that Emmett wasn't bluffing. He unlocked the door and opened it a bit before he headed back to his seat. Emmett came in, closed the door behind him, and locked up.

"You look like shit," Emmett said with an arched brow.

Edward shrugged and stayed slumped in his seat letting his head fall back against the chair he was in as he closed his eyes.

"Senator Volturi called me," Emmett said as he moved to sit on the couch adjacent to where Edward was sitting.

Edward just shrugged again.

"Said you hadn't come into the office today or even called in," Emmett continued. "Also, asked why I hadn't come in or called. Apparently he hadn't heard about my resignation. Can't say that he was too pleased."

Edward didn't acknowledge any of what Emmett had to say and just sat there with his eyes closed.

Emmett sighed and watched his friend, a man he considered a brother and shook his head. "You have to figure out what you're going to do, Edward."

Edward opened his eyes and looked at Emmett for a moment before speaking quietly, his voice hoarse, "What can I do, Em? She's gone."

Emmett frowned. "Well, for starters you can stop being a pansy ass and figure out what you're going to do to get her back."

Edward seemed to get angry at his words, stood up, and started to pace in front of the couch were Emmett was sitting. "Get her back! Do you think that's even possible after what I did? I broke us, Emmett. I broke _her!_ She'll never forgive me for what I've done and the sad truth is that I hate myself for doing it! I can't forgive _myself_! It's the worst thing I've ever done in my life! I've destroyed the best thing that's ever happened to me! For what!? For who!?" His voice was growing louder and louder with each word that came out his mouth till his screams were bouncing off the walls.

He ran his hands through his hair and then grabbed fistfuls of his locks as if he wanted to yank his hair out as he heard Bella's words in his mind again: _What kind of man are you?_

He shut his eyes tightly again and made a sound like a wounded animal. "What do I do? Just tell me what you think I should do to make this better."

Emmett let Edward rant and rave, figuring his friend needed to let it out. At Edward's question he frowned, "I can't tell you what to do, Edward. That's a decision you have to make for yourself." In fact, Emmett had some ideas about steps Edward should take, including resigning as Senator Volturi's chief of staff, but he also knew that Edward had to come to that conclusion on his own.

Edward visibly swallowed and nodded at Emmett's words.

"I also spoke to Senator Cullen," Emmett said after a bit of silence.

This obviously took Edward off guard. "You did?"

Emmett nodded and continued, "He called me late this morning."

"He called you?" Edward said, moving to sit down again, "Why?"

"He wanted to see if you were all right actually," Emmett said, watching Edward closely. "He also heard I might be looking for a new job."

"He offered you a job?" Edward asked.

"Yes," was all Emmett said, not adding whether or not he planned to take it or what the job was.

Edward just blinked a bit. "That's…that's good news. Congratulations."

"He'd like for you to call him," Emmett responded. "He really did seemed concerned and wanted to make sure you're all right."

Edward felt shamed by Carlisle's concern after what he'd done to him.

"You should give him a call," Emmett continued.

Edward nodded a bit as he sat quietly and then he said, "Yeah, I think I'll do that, but there's another call I have to make first."


	44. Chapter 44

"Are you going to be all right?" Alice asked for the millionth time as Bella moved around her room in their apartment packing her things. Bella replied as she had a million times before, "I'm fine, Alice."

Both of them knew that she really wasn't "fine," but it was also obvious that she didn't want to discuss Edward or their break-up.

"Are you sure you want to take all these clothes?" Alice asked as she looked at the two large suitcases that Bella was packing.

That question actually got a bit of a smile out of Bella. "Mary Alice Cullen, did you actually just suggest that I might be packing too many clothes?"

Alice shrugged a bit as she folded up a pair of pants and placed them in the suitcase that was open on the bed. "It just makes it seem like…more permanent. Like you're leaving for good," Alice said, looking as if she was blinking back tears as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Bella stopped what she was doing and looked at her best friend. "It's not for good, Alice. At least I hope it's not." Sighing she moved to sit down next to her and forced a smile. "Hey, we both knew that I would hardly be here once the campaigning really got into full swing. I'll go work in the California office for a while and then I'm going to be on the road constantly when your dad gets the nomination and before you know it I'll be back here, working on his inaugural speech." At least she hoped that's the way it would be. Right now it felt as if she would never recover from this set back…professionally or personally.

Sniffling, Alice rested her head on Bella's shoulder. "I just don't want you to go."

Bella rested her head on Alice's and sighed, "I don't want to go either." Hearing the tears in Alice's voice made her want to cry, but the truth of the matter was she was tired of crying. She had been crying since she left Edward's apartment the day before and had only stopped when she had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

When she had finally woken up this morning, she had called to make arrangements for her flight and had made sure everything was ready for her in California.

Alice sighed and lifted her head. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be acting like such a baby. I'll be visiting LA before you know it. Rose said she might even join me."

Bella nodded and gave her a weak smile before she looked around the room. "I think that's pretty much everything."

"You sure you don't want me to drive you to the airport?" Alice asked as Bella moved to close her suitcase.

"No, it's fine. I need the time to think, you know?" Bella responded with a small smile.

Alice nodded, "You'll call me as soon as you arrive in LA?"

Bella just nodded in response. "Yeah, I'll call when I get there…" before she could say anything else Alice had launched herself at Bella, throwing her arms around her in a big hug. Bella just hugged her back tightly, not saying anything for a while. They just stood there like that for a few moments before Bella's cell rang. She ignored the first couple of rings, but then she gently pulled away from Alice and picked up her phone. "That's the taxi." She answered and simply said, "Yes, I'll be right down."

They pulled the bags off the bed and rolled them outside in silence, setting them on the curb for the taxi driver to stick them in the trunk. Giving each other another tight hug as he did, Alice simply said, "Call me."

Bella was afraid she was going to cry again, so she just nodded and got in the taxi, waving to Alice after she closed the door and the driver pulled away.

Bella watched as the city moved past her, lost in her thoughts about how she had grown to love this city, the Capitol, the whole world of politics, even now that she had experienced the really dark side of it. Her life in D.C. had been so fulfilling and it had given her so much, but she felt as if it had all been snatched away in one fell swoop. She was in complete shambles, professionally and personally, and she just needed time to pull it all together again.

As they drove toward the airport, the drone of talk radio penetrated her thoughts.

…_the candidates gave speeches at this past Friday's fundraising event. And, while it seems that Senator Carlisle Cullen still maintains the lead in party polls, Senator Aro Volturi's speech seems to have narrowed the margins. _

"Will you please change the station," Bella asked the driver, even as the droning voice continued:

_Of course with today's announcement coming out of Senator Volturi's office that Chief of Staff Edward Masen…_

Before the latest news could be heard the driver had changed it to some easy listening station and Bella simply said, "Thank you," as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against her seat. She knew she couldn't avoid hearing Volturi and Edward's name forever, but she hoped she could avoid it just long enough to mend at least some of the fractured pieces of her broken heart.

)( )( )( )( )(

Jasper watched as Senator Cullen stood by the large bay window in this living room, looking out onto his neighborhood, hands in his pockets. "You sure about this, Senator? Edward's suggestion would all but clinch the nomination for you."

Carlisle nodded and then simply said, "I'm sure."

Jasper hadn't been in the room the day before when Edward had called Carlisle for a lengthy conversation, but he had been nearby. While they had been talking, Alice had called to let him know that Bella had left. He had been a bit surprised figuring that she would take a few days to plan things before leaving. He was sorry that she had gone without talking to him or Carlisle again, but he understood it as well.

Another surprise had come when earlier in the weekend, the Senator had called him asking for Edward's number. When the Senator had failed to reach Edward that way, they tried to get in touch with him through Emmett McCarty, his deputy. That was how the phone call between Edward and the Senator had come about.

Jasper had been shocked when Carlisle had told him Edward's plans, but he had been even more surprised when the Senator had told him that he had talked Edward out of his plans and then talked him into new ones.

"If he would have gone public with the whole speech debacle, as well as Aro's and his role in it, it would have changed the whole game."

Carlisle nodded and looked down, "Yes, Jasper, but that's not how I want to win this election. I want to win it on my merits not by pointing fingers." He looked back at Jasper with a slightly reproachful look. "You know that."

Jasper nodded. "I know and I just wanted you to consider all your options."

The Senator sighed and went to sit across from Jasper. "I have, and I think that this is the best course of action."

Jasper nodded again. "It'll definitely be a coupe if Masen goes through with it."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed, "but I didn't suggest it because it would benefit me. That part of the plan was his idea."

"So when does he make the announcement? With Bella gone we're going to have to have someone else on the staff come up with a statement. You know that they're going to be asking lots of questions," Jasper responded.

Carlisle smiled. "I believe that the first part of the news has already been leaked. I think he's planning an announcement early next week after he's talked to some of his friends and some of his father's old friends back in Chicago. We're just fortunate that Senator Monroe has been thinking about retirement."

It was Jasper's turn to get up and he went to look out the same window that Carlisle had been looking out of just moments ago. "So it's official then. Edward Masen, Jr. will be endorsing you for the ticket at the same time that he makes his announcement to run for the Senate?"

Carlisle just smiled and nodded in return.

* * *

Ok, so just a bit of info, but not everything yet. We'll get back to what Edward's up to and his thoughts in the next chapter. Thank you so much for all your comments! I really enjoy getting all of them.

First, I would like to welcome all the new readers to this story. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Second, I would really like to thank all the readers that have stuck with this story despite the fact that I have been absent for quite a while. I'm going to aim for regular updates from now on!

Third, while I continue to work on this story, I would appreciate it if you could check out my other stories. Some of them are incomplete, but they remain that way because there didn't seem much of an interest. I will finish them all (some day), but I might be more motivated to do so if they gain some new readers.

Finally, I have been nominated for Fic of the Week over at the Lemonade Stand! I have been fortunate enough to receive two previous nominations at this site, but unfortunately, those nominations came during periods when I was having difficulty updating for various reasons. I would sincerely appreciate your votes if you believe I deserve them. (Ok, so I'm not as savvy or eloquent as Senator Cullen when it comes to trying to rake in votes). You can go vote at www. tehlemonadestand p/great-blogs. html (just remove the space after each period )

Please remember the 3 Rs = Read, Review, & Recommend!


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